Dedicated Hearts made Fullmetal
by Justsomeone19
Summary: Two years after the Promise Day, Edward and Alphonse had believed they were now free to lead normal lives, until one day they were suddenly snatched from their home by the Truth and sent into another world. There they must help a group of people battle an enemy which they do not yet understand but who seek to annihilate them.
1. Chapter 1: An Impossible Offer

**Chapter 1: An Impossible Offer**

Edward and Alphonse both entered the house "Hey Winry, I'm done with the roof" yelled Ed as he shut the door behind him, they both sat down on the couch with two mugs of hot tea resting on the table in front of them, Alphonse picked up the mug before him and took a sip. Winry peered at them through the doorway to the hallway, wearing an apron stained in flour.

"Took you long enough, Ed" remarked Winry as she leaned up against the door frame with her arms folded.

"Hey I'm still getting use to all this, okay" countered Ed, annoyed.

Both Alphonse and Winry lightly giggled at Ed.

"It's not funny, Winry! Do you know how painful it is repairing this house?" He said irritated.

"Well Ed, this may surprise you but I do; not all us were alchemy freaks." she replied matter of factly with a mischievous smile on her face.

Edward growled in response to Winry's comment, the last two years required him to made an adjustment to how he did things, the difficultly of what seemed like simple tasks in the past had escalated greatly. It didn't help that ever since they returned home Winry has had them do work around the house for her and Grandma Rockwell.

"Oh come on Winry, leave Ed be he has been working hard after all" laughed Alphonse, sitting next to Ed and holding the mug of tea in his hands

Ed watched as the two of them giggled at his annoyance for having to do different odd jobs for Winry, he thought back to when he traded in his alchemy for his brother; he allowed his lips to form into a small smile at their apparent happiness and the normality of their lives. _It was worth it_ he thought to himself.

Alphonse leaned over to Ed "So when are you going to ask her?" he whispered with a sly smile on his face

Ed rolled his eyes "You don't need to worry about that" he replied "I'll do it when the time is right" _or when I have the guts to ask_

"By the way Ed, this came in the mail for you, it was sent by Roy." she walked over to the counter and tossed him his old pocket watch, he stretched his hand upwards and caught the silver watch, and stared at it for a second; he had sent it away with a letter asking to be revoked of his government licence maybe over a week ago, it puzzled him as to why Roy would send it back. Whenever a state alchemists either resigns or has their license revoked they also have to give up the pocket watch which was their form of identification.

"Why would he send this back?" asked Ed, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the silver pocket watch in his hands.

"Beats me, but you should have it as a keepsake" replied Winry smiling.

Ed looked down at the silver pocket watch again, his mind solely on the engraved marking he scratched on in the lid, he knew that Winry also knew about this and wondered why she wanted he to keep it, he mentally shrugged off the thought, placed the watch in his right pocket and hooked the chain onto his belt loop he'd place it in the draw when he had the time. There was a muffled ding sound in another room which caught Winry's attention.

"The apple pie must be ready" said Winry, she walked back over to the entrance to the hallway "oh and by the way-" she abruptly stopped her sentence as she turned to face Ed and Al again; her eyes widen and she had a horrified look on her face. She wanted to say something, she wanted to scream, to yell, do anything to warn them but... that thing on the wall behind them, the mere sight of it paralyzed her with fear.

"What is it?" Asked Alphonse, both of them looking at Winry's expression confused, that when Ed noticed it; Black tendrils.

Familiar black tendrils latched on to his body.

Ed panicked; he grabbed hold of one and quickly tried to rip it off his body but their grip on him quickly tighten and suddenly they pulled him into something from behind him, the last thing he heard was the mug of tea Alphonse was holding shatter on the ground and the last thing he saw was Winry rushing towards them and trying to reach out for them.

Edward rubbed his head trying to soothe the splitting headache he was suffering from.

 _What happened?_

He slowly opened his eyes and was greeted to a familiar blinding white light of a brightly lit room; the realization of where he was hit him like an oncoming train. He rushed to his feet and almost instantaneously his eyes fell upon a familiar figure who sat before him.

"What the hell!" Yelled Edward, his anger directed at the Truth.

It had been two years since he's seen the Truth, two years since he gave up his ability to do alchemy in return for Alphonse's body, he'd believed that was the last time and now he found himself back into the Truth's domain.

"Ahhhhh" softly whined a voice to his right; Edward turned his head to see Alphonse lying on his back.

"Al!" Yelled Edward as he ran towards him.

"Brother!" replied Alphonse, who embraced his Edward, Ed fell to his knees hugged him back.

"What happened?" Asked Edward "Are you alright? did you lose anything?"

"I don't know" replied Alphonse, quickly he got up to his knees and then began to frantically look and tap around his body; checking if everything was there. "one moment I was with you and Winry at home and the next thing I know I'm... Here." he finished.

Al turned his head towards the truth who sat opposite to them, before Al could open his mouth to question the truth, he noticed something off putting; the Truth didn't have its usually toothy grin on its plain white face; instead his face held a more neutral expression, seeing this unnerved Alphonse, it looked almost unnatural. Alphonse slowly got up to his feet, the brothers then turned their full attention towards the truth.

"Wh- Why are we here? Why have you brought us here again?" questioned Alphonse. "We haven't done anything wrong!"

"You better have a damn good reason for kidnapping us!" Yelled Edward as he pointed his finger at the Truth accusingly.

The Truth then stood up, despite the lack of a smile on its face; its demeanor was still relaxed.

"I have an offer for you boys" declared the Truth "On another world there are a group of people who are a fighting a war for their survival, I've watched as they've courageously struggle against a powerful force they do not yet fully understand but who seek to annihilate them."

The Truth paused to allow the information to sink in, before then continuing "This is where you boys come in, you've faced adversaries of immense power and still overcame them." The truth face then contorted into a very small smile, still not showing any teeth. "no doubt with you two entering the situation this should tip the scales in their favor."

Edward and Alphonse stood and stared at the Truth almost dumb founded by what it was telling them.

"So you're telling me, that you kidnapped us from our home to have us thrown into another world's fight?" question Ed.

"I won't force you boys to go, it's merely part of the offer, what you'll have to do in return." replied the Truth.

"You're asking us to fight in someone else's war, don't know what you could offer to make us consider that, have you forgotten the law of equivalent exchange?" taunted Ed, a sly grin on his face "Also I'm not the military dog I was two years ago, Only Al can still use Alchemy and the situation you described sounds like a job for the military than just one alchemist prodigy."

The Truth smiled, its face now wearing that toothy grin that the brothers knew and feared, it then raised its left hand, holding it close to its face.

"How about two prodigies of Alchemy then?" responded the Truth as he clicked his fingers.

There was a loud crackling sound of lighting and large bright blue sparks formed behind them, both Edward and Alphonse turned behind them and watched in absolute shock as Edward's door of Truth began to materialize in front of them. The door that Edward traded away for Alphonse two years ago had returned to him... just like that.

"We'll go on" the Truth said, his arms outstretched toward Edward "try it out, let's see if you've gotten rusty after these last two years."

Suddenly a small block of wood appeared in front of the boys; Edward slowly pressed his hands together and a familiar blue spark appeared between his palms, a burst of adrenaline coursed through his veins as he knelt down and picked up the small wooden block, he then transmuted the block into a small wooden bird; the same one that he and Alphonse transmuted years ago when they first tried to learn about alchemy.

The Truth then pointed towards Edward's door of Truth "if you boys accept the offer then Edward can not only have his ability to perform alchemy for the job but he can keep it afterwards" The Truth paused to allow the offer to sink in. "So what do you boys say?" asked the Truth.

Alphonse continued his stare down with the Truth; the chance to get Edward's alchemy back, his chance to repay his brother on the promise Edward made to him to get his body back.

But despite this they knew they couldn't accept the offer, they couldn't be caught up in another world's conflict when they had only recently finished theirs and were still continuing to rebuild their lives since the aftermath. Now was certainly not the time to go and get involved in events they had no knowledge of.

"We have only recently gotten our lives back and we have people waiting for us." Said Al "We can't just drop everything and risk our lives in a fight we know nothing about, we could be there for months, even years away from the people we need to spend time with, the people who need us most."

"Time operates differently between worlds, a month on this world is worth year in the other" replied the Truth "should you spend some years there, perhaps maybe even a decade, in that world you will age with time, however when you'll return to your world, you'll return in the same physical state you left; any scars or ageing you went through in that world won't appear when you return to yours, how quickly you'll return to your world depends on how fast you boys operate, but once you're back it will be as if you never left at all. Though what you bring from that world, you can bring into yours."

"How do we get back home exactly, if we succeed? Or fail"? Asked Edward.

"You can return at any point, success or failure is how you measure, boys; if you truly believe that you have prevented the annihilation of those people or if you believe that the situation is hopeless than draw this transmutation circle and a portal back will open" replied the Truth, a transmutation circle then appeared in the space between the brothers and the Truth before them, it was very similar to a transmutation circle which they were familiar with using but it had difference in details. "Though be warned you only get one chance to head home, so choose your moment wisely and don't waste it or you could find yourself trapped in that world.

"Wait!" Yelled Edward "you're willing to give me back my ability to perform alchemy should we accept and gives us an opt out which we can use at any point?" He looked at the Truth with a dumbfounded expression "how do you know we won't just summon the portal the moment we get there and just head back home with my alchemy returned?"

"I know you boys like I know everyone and everything, while you have your own goals, dreams and ambitions, you don't have the ruthlessness to do such a thing; you despise injustice and the suffering of others, am I right?" The Truth retorted "Remember when you had the chance to shoot envy but couldn't when you saw the faces of those Xerxesian trapped within him, begging for help." it said its nonexistent eyes facing staring down Edward "When you arrived and witness the carnage and suffering of those people can you really look yourself in the eyes knowing that you have the power but was too apathetic to do anything?" It then turned its head towards Alphonse "and what about you Alphonse, when you protected Riza Hawkeye from lust, what was it you said?"I won't let anyone get killed, not while I can protect them" tell me Alphonse could you stomach abandoning those in need?"

The brothers traded glanced at each other, they knew that the Truth was trying to appeal to their sense of heroism, they even considered the time gap; it meant they could spend as long as necessary to aid those struggling in their war and wouldn't be gone for that long, it could be months but they're spent longer away from home back in the days when they were trying to recover their bodies and they wouldn't be trapped in that world, they could leave as soon as they felt their job was done and in the end Edward could get his alchemy back.

But still, they had to decline, they didn't want to possibly spend years in that world and months away from those they love and they had left Winry so abruptly.

"Sorry, but you're gonna have to find someone else, those days of getting into fights are over for us" announced Ed, he thought that this complete rejection would have sent a clear message to the Truth "Thanks, but no deal."

Al placed his hand on Edward's shoulders, as a sign of solidarity with Edward declaration.

"If it's all the same to you, we've heading out." said Al, with a defiant smirk in his face.

"Hmmmmm" replied the Truth questioningly, that toothy grin still plastered on his face "well if you boys insist, then you are free to go" The door of Truth behind them began to slowly open and the brothers were bathed in a familiar blinding light.

"Winry must be worried about us." said Alphonse to Edward, with a small smirk on his face.

"But before you boys go, I'd like to add something to the offer, hopefully it will change your minds." said the Truth, the grin on his widening "Accept the offer and I'm willing to not only return Edward's alchemy back, but I'm willing to give you one demand."

The brothers turned their heads to face the Truth "demand?" questioned Edward "what kind of demand?"

"The kind that allows many exceptions to certain rules of the universe" said the Truth "the kind which allows a person to have whatever they want, whatever their heart's desires.

"The kind that can see a long list of people brought back to life in perfect health, with no strings attached."

It was that last statement.

Their eyes widen at what was being said, a cold chill ran down their backs at the thought of it "You're lying!" Edward yelled "it's impossible to bring the dead back to life!" Edward gave the Truth a look of absolute fury; if these last years had taught him anything it's that you can't bring back the dead and that it was better to move from loss than be tied down and obsessed it reversing what is permanent. Now the Truth was telling him that the lesson he had learnt was a lie, it was possible after all.

"I am the Truth, Edward." It responded, just that simple statement was enough to turn Edward's expression from one of anger to horrified realization, he hadn't felt this way since Hohenheim had him question why he burnt down the house "Consider this equivalent exchange; save a group of people from total destruction, they go on to live for generations and in return you get to bring back a whole list of people from the dead, if you desire of course."

In their minds they went through that list of names; Trisha Elric, Van Hohenheim, Maes Hughes, Nina and Alexsander, Fu, Captain Buccaneer, Yuriy Rockwell, Sarah Rockwell, Scar's family, Izumi and Sig Curtis' son, Rose's fiancé, the list went on.

"Of course the parameters of the deal change; I'll be the judge of your progress and If I deem that you two have done your job then I will grant it to you, that being said you must secure a future in which these people can live for generations in relative peace, come back making little progress in the way of that or come back as failures then I will only return Edward's alchemy and nothing more." finished the Truth.

The door of Truth began to slowly close on them, it was now or never; they could leave through the portal, return home, live their lives and leave those people to their fate or they could go to this other world, be away from home for maybe a few months, but gain back Edward's alchemy and a chance to give their loved ones, and all those who sacrificed themselves for the brothers, a second chance at life.

"W-wait" pleaded Alphonse "can't we think about this? Maybe go back and prepare first?" In his mind an internal battle was waged; a desire to go home and finally live a normal life against the want of seeing and paying back everyone by bringing back their lost loved ones. He turned his head towards an ever closing door of Truth behind them and then the Truth.

"No" responded the Truth still looking at them with that damn grin "It's now or never."

They both turned to face the door, looking at it with scared hesitation before turning to face the Truth again.

The blinding light was now just centimeters from closing completely.

 _We'd would only be away from home for a few months, but surely they'll understand?_ they two of them tried to reason _When they get everyone back, it'll be for the greater good, what's a few years in that world and a few months away from home compared to bring back of all the people they'd lost over the last few years?_ They just couldn't compare, Winry would understand why, of course she would...

 _...won't she?_

 _They'll all understand why they were gone for maybe a few months..._

 _...won't they?_

The both Edward and Alphonse watched as the once blinding white light became thin sliver between two towering dark stone slab doors; the door of Truth slowly closed shut before them.

They had made their choice.


	2. Chapter 2: First Encounter

**Chapter 2: First Encounter**

Edward slowly opened his eyes; awakening in a thin alleyway between two houses that appear to have been built with stone and wood.

"You alright, Al?" asked Edward, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, at least we didn't get a headache this time" said Al as he stood up from the ground and dusted himself off.

They cautiously walked towards the end of the alleyway; following the path into a cobble stone street. As they stepped out onto the street the first thing that struck them was how empty the place was; the street was vacant of people but all around they could hear the sound of distant yelling and above the row of houses Ed could make out what looked to be a tall wall in the distance.

"Where is everyone?" Edward wondered to himself, he walked a few steps along the street as he observed his surroundings while Alphonse peered into the windows of empty buildings that lined the cobblestone road, Ed knocked on one of the doors "Hello, anyone home?"

Suddenly a loud bang above them caught their attention; they quickly looked up to see a small group of people carrying what looked to be large swords landing on the roof of one of the houses before they began to sprint across the rooftops. Edward and Alphonse watched as they fired grappling hooks from large metal containers which looked to be wrapped around their waists on to the nearby houses as a sudden force flung them through the air at an incredible speed.

"Woah" said Alphonse as he watched wide eyed amazed by what he saw.

"C'mon, we gotta try and follow them" yelled Edward, Ed and Alphonse began to run towards the general direction of the gliding people. But as quickly as they came, they quickly vanished from their sight;it was only a matter of seconds before they lost track of them but despite this they still continued to run through the empty street trying to find someone, anyone, around who they could talk to. They ran further south into the city and quickly the yelling they heard when they first arrived began to get louder, only this time it was mixed in with gut-retching screams of pain and desperate pleas for help.

"They're everywhere!" Came one voice.

"They're closing in!" Came another voice.

"Oh God, help me!" Came a third.

The rest was incomprehensible yelling and screaming.

 _What the hell is going on?_ Ed thought as they looked around and still were unable to find anyone else.

They were halfway through running along a small street lined with with houses on both sides, which was connected to a wider road, when suddenly a loud crash stopped them in their tracks; it sounded as if a train carriage had been thrown and collided into a building.

"Was that an explosion?" asked Alphonse, they resumed sprinted towards the end of the street to investigate it; they had only just peered from the corner of the street when they caught sight of it.

It was a large naked humanoid with light blond hair, it's looked to be maybe over 10 meters tall and it clung to what looked to be a church watch tower.

Their eyes widen in absolute shock at what they saw, they took a step back at the sight of the monster in front of them.

They watched as the humanoid creature tilted its head upwards as if to swallow something, it then proceeded to climb down from the tower and walk down the road toward them.

"Get back, Al." Whispered Edward, they quickly moved from the road out of sight, back into the small street and quickly placed their backs against the wall of the building at the corner of the road, hoping not to be caught by the large creature. Edward and Alphonse watched the giant creature with a mixture of awe and terror as it passed them, it didn't walk like a regular person even though it walked on two legs; it appeared to be sluggish in its movements and lumbered forwards in the direction of the road and its face looked both human and inhuman; all the feature but not in proportion to what a normal face should look like. Ed and Al slowly pressed their hands together; ready to perform alchemy to kill it should the hideous monster spot them. A bead of sweat ran down their foreheads as their bodies tensed up in anticipation of being caught.

The giant humanoid continued to lumber its way past the small street, not spotting the brothers.

As the giant past them Alphonse kept watch of it, it was no further than maybe six blocks away from them, Edward peered his head over the street corner into the road viewing the direction which the giant came from, that when he saw them; the people with the waist grappling hook devices, two for them looked to be ahead of the others but one of them was soaring in front of the other at an incredible speed. Ed watched as the leading person flew through the air, passing the street they were hiding in, passing under the bridge connecting two buildings and looked to be heading straight for that giant monster, that's when he caught a clear sight of those two large blades which was attached to some wire.

This was followed by the next person, who stuck to the roof tops, not copying the same manoeuvres as the person leading the charge.

 _Are they going to attack that thing with just those blades?_ Ed thought curiously.

Al turned his head from the large monster towards the group of people gliding through the air, they both stepped out into the road to watch in anticipation as one of them looked to strike the giant from behind; they watched in nervous awe as this person twirled through the air , the sun gleaming off his large blades, they watched in shock as another one of those large monsters leap into the air and bit into that person leading the charge and they watched in wide eyed horror as the person skid across the rooftops, no doubts sliding across the tile roofs as bit of broken tiles fell to the ground.

"Eren!" came a yell from in front of them; they looked up to the rooftops on the buildings straight ahead and saw one of them, those people gliding though the air, they could make out the individual's blond hair and the large blades he was carrying like the person who just got a chunk of him bitten off, they seem to be soldiers of some kind from the uniform they were wearing.

"We gotta help hi-" said Ed urgently, but a loud thud from behind them interrupted his sentence.

They quickly looked back to see two others caught in the grips of the giants and then another one person being slammed into a pillar as a giant peered around the corner at the now unconscious person. Before Edward and Alphonse could act to save them they quickly caught sight of more and more of those giant humanoids appearing from the different streets connecting to the road; they turned to face the road they came from to find another one, this time a smaller giant walking down the same street. They came to a horrifying realization.

They were surrounded.

Alphonse and Edward pressed their backs against each other as they quickly tried to think of a strategy to quickly save those caught by the Giants and escape.

"Al!" Yelled Ed " I'll block off the road and street corners in my direction to hold them off, you get to those guys and bring here, we'll escape together."

"What about the guy on the rooftops? He could be still be alive, we have help him too." responded Al.

"We'll just have to hope his buddy over there gets to him, right now those guys won't make it without our help" retorted Ed.

Alphonse ran in the direction of the downed and caught soldiers in a desperate attempt to try an save their lives, while Edward quickly placed his hands together and slammed them on the ground; transmuting a twenty meter stone wall which blocked off the main road and the smaller streets connection and separating themselves from the advancing Giants on the main road. However the giant monsters weren't about to give up as one of them slammed their body against it and broke a large eight meter hole through center of the wall with ease, the large monster observed Edward through the hole with his hideously large eyes and toothy grin. Thinking fast Ed slammed his hand on the ground again this time transmuting a large stone crossbow from the ground firing a sharp projectile and striking the giant humanoid through the eye; the Giant tumbled to the ground.

"How'd like tha-" before he could finish his last word, the giant humanoid slowly began to get up from the ground and pull the arrow from its head; steam appeared to be emanating from the area of injury as it grew back the flesh and skin it had lost.

"H... how the hell is it..." Ed muttered to himself, shocked that he didn't kill the giant. He instinctively took a step back and watched in both shock and curious awe as the monster began to resume its attack and observe Ed with that ugly, undamaged, eye.

Alphonse sprinted towards the unconscious soldier, who was now within the grasp of the the giant that had been observing them in the alleyway with it's large and hungry eyes, the giant began to open its wide mouth and place the head of the captured soldier into it's cavity; ready to bite down on the soldier's head and fill their large stomach.

"No!" Yelled Alphonse, he clapped his hands together and placed his left hand on the ground while he continued to run, the tips of his fingers skidded across the ground as he transmuted a long spear; once it was completed he raised the spear with both hands and charged full speed forward, aiming the sharp tip at the giant humanoid's head.

Alphonse pierced the peering giant's temple with the long spear, he then quickly let go of the spear as the giant urgently got up to its feet in a state of shock, dropping the soldier on the ground and flailed about. Alphonse then quickly slammed his hands on the ground; transmuting a stone spike from the floor which impaled the giant through its body causing the large monster to fall limp as it dangled from the spike.

Al quickly checked on the now saved person; it was a girl who must be maybe about his age or younger, she had black hair which was done up in two pigtails and was wearing what looked to be a small brown coat with an insignia of two swords on it and a small sash with white pants, knee high leather boots and rows of belts strapped to her body.

"Hey! Are you alright? What's your name?" Asked Al, he reached out his hand and pulled her up to a standing position, she placed her hand on the pillar for balance as her legs wobbled slightly, She was shorter than him and maybe only slightly shorter than Winry and had a slender build.

"M... Mina" responded the girl weakly.

But before Alphonse could respond he was quickly alerted to the giant biting down on the other guy's legs, trying to push him into its mouth as the guy struggled to keep everything above his waist outside of the giant's gnawing teeth "Someone please! Help me!" The soldier screamed "I don't wanna die!" Alphonse quickly slammed his hands against the wall transmuting a white stone pillar on the top half of the building, it struck the chest of the giant with such force that the monster lost balance and crashed into the building on the other side, it spat out the soldier from it's mouth and sent the poor man falling onto the ground from a painful distance. Then slamming both hands on the ground Alphonse transmuted a large hand; it shot upwards from the ground then made a curve down to hold the fallen giant in its place, the large stone hand holding the giants large stomach as it struggled to get back up.

Alphonse ran to the soldier who was currently lying on his back; it was a man, he looked to be his age, had straw colored hair and was wearing the same uniform with the same insignia as Mina.

 _They must be part of this place's military_ thought Al.

"Hey! Are you alright? What's your name" asked Al, he then looked down to see the mess of blood and mangled broken legs.

"My legs, help me please!" he pleaded to Al, grabbing at Alphonse' trouser leg.

"I will" responded Al, kneeling down to face him" I just have to get-" before Al could respond the sound of a sickening crunch caught his attention, he turned his head to watch the third soldier crushed within the Giants grasp be devoured from his waist as his blood and guts spill out onto the Giant's face and the ground below.

Al quickly turned away from the horrible sight and looked towards Mina who was standing up straight, her hand still on the pillar, staring at Al with stunned wide eyes and mouth slightly agape at what she just witnessed.

"How did you-" she was cut off by Al who asked her.

"Can you run?" he asked, a grave sense of urgency in his voice.

She paused for a few seconds then replied "yes."

"Good, we've gonna have to drag him if we're to get out of here." he said, moving to the injured soldier's left side Al position

He placed his arm underneath the soldier's, Mina quickly picked up the handles to her gear and shoved them into the metal containers, she then ran towards Mylius' right side and placed her arm under his. While she positioned her arm she never took her eyes off Alphonse; she had just watched in awe as this guy somehow made spikes, pillars and hands made out of stones, in seconds, to take out Titans and all by touching the ground and the wall.

"Alright, let's move" commanded Al, with that they began to move as fast as they could while dragging the injured soldier, who was still crying in pain, his crushed legs left a streak of blood on the road following them. "Hey! you hear me? It's gonna be fine" Said Al to the wounded soldier "what's your name?"

"M... M... Mylius" responded the wounded soldier weakly.

"I'm Alphonse Elric" Al replied "we're getting out of here; we just got to get to my brother ahead of us."

The giant humanoids resumed breaking done the stone wall and soon others began to help, Ed quickly snapped out of his shock "I don't think so!" he said, determination dripping from his voice as he clapped his hands together and slammed them on the ground transmuting the same 20 meter wall in front of them, this time making it five meters.

"This should hold them off for now" said Ed a triumphant smirk on his face, and then a small crack appeared on the wall. They were still breaking through.

 _Hurry up, Al!_ Thought Ed.

"Brother!" Yelled Alphonse, Ed turned to see his brother and one of those soldiers dragging their wounded comrade towards him, As soon as he turned his head to face Al a large crash occurred behind him, they had broken a small hole in the wall, Ed saw the giant place its head to watch him through the gap in the wall.

"Brother, we've here" yelled Al.

Mina observed the wall in that was blocking the road; she turned her head to she similar wall erected in different streets no doubt holding back the Titans on those streets.

 _Those weren't there before_ Mina thought to herself _how the hell did they do that?_

She then looked behind them, she watched in horror as the peering titan which was incapacitated was now on the move towards them along with the other Titans.

"Titans!" she yelled "heading straight for us!"

Ed and Alphonse turned to the face the direction of road which Al and the soldier's had retreated from

"Wha... But I impaled her" muttered Al, he watched as the peering Titan headed straight for them, its large unblinking eyes fixated on the group. Mina quickly took the handles to her ODM gear, aimed it at the rooftops and pulled the trigger, but the equipment must have taken damage as the grappling hook didn't fire.

"My ODM gear! It won't work" Mina panicked as she frantically pulled the trigger "I can't get us out of here!"

"Don't worry" replied Edward "everyone just hang on, OK" Alphonse grabbed onto the back of Edward's shirt and Mina's forearm, Mina clutched Alphonse's forearm back and with her free hand she grabbed Mylius by the collar.

Edward quickly clapped his hands, Mina could have swore she saw small bolts of lightning forming between his hands, he then slammed them onto the ground, a large pillar jutted for the ground underneath them at a slanted angle towards the rooftops, just as they left the ground the wall that was holding back the Titans had collapse from the relentless assault by the Titans on the other side of it. The abrupt stop of the fast growing pillar sent the group flying and landing roughly on the rooftops tiles.

"C'mon," yelled Ed, getting himself up "we have to go further in so they can't reach us." the three of them proceeded to pick up Mylius and carry him further inwards, away from the grasp of the Titans, he was now unconscious and his skin had become pale; he had lost too much blood, they had to treat his wounds quickly or else he would die from blood loss. Mina turned her head back and looked towards the ground, and she saw the peering Titan, the one which could have eaten her just a minute ago, stare back at her with its large unblinking eyes.

"Put him here." said Alphonse as he slowly lowered Mylius' head to the roof; he was now deathly pale from the loss of blood, as they lay his body down a small puddle of blood from underneath his destroyed legs. "Take his boots off." Alphonse asked, he wanted to inspect the damage done to his legs. Mina and Edward both grabbed hold of one boot each and pulled it off his legs, they were mortified to discover that when they removed them a small pool of blood had formed in them, spilling onto the ground as they took them off, the Titan had chewed on his legs while trying to push him into its mouth, the three of them looked in horror at the mess of blood and broken legs before them, his long white trousers were now soaked red in his blood.

"Oh god... Mylius" said Mina, her hand was over her mouth and her eyes were on the verge of tears as the realization dawned on her that another one of her comrades, another member of the 104th trainee corp was killed.

"I can stop the bleeding." said Alphonse, he then placed his hand in the pool of blood and began using it to draw a transmutation circle from Alkhestry, he desperately tried to recall one of the lessons on medical alchemy that Mai taught him back in the North and whatever he had researched in order to save this poor soldier's life. He then placed his hands on the ground; a bright light then appeared over the blood marking. Mina watched with tears rolling down her cheek for her dying comrade, but yet she was still in awe by what she was witnessing.

Edward quickly knelt beside his head and placed two fingers on the pulse in his neck.

"Brother, I... Is…Is he alive?" Stuttered Alphonse.

Edward waited for a few seconds, his fingers on the pulse trying to detect a sign of life... but there was nothing; Ed's body then slumped slightly, his hands fell to his sides and he lowered his head. "He's gone, I'm so sorry."

Alphonse who had been kneeling during the process shifted into a sitting position, his head lowered similar to Edward.

"I'm sorry, Mina " Al in a hushed tone "I'm so sorry."

Mina own body slumped; her head lowered into her knees and she began to sob heavily over the loss of another one of her squad members, the people she had trained with, struggled with and grew up with had just been slaughtered in a single day.

 _Thomas, Nic, Mylius…_

Overhead, dark clouds engulfed the bright sun and turned the once bright blue sky into a depressing sea of grey as a gentle shower of rain began to pour over them.


	3. Chapter 3: Who are we?

**Chapter 3: Who are we?**

Edward studied the city, standing on the top end of the slanted rooftop; it looked as though the whole city was encased in a tall circular shaped wall. It reminded him of the wall of Briggs in the north, except on an impossibly larger scale. He observed the structure and design of the buildings; trying to figure out what time period this world was in.

 _The stone and dirt roads and these houses look almost medieval or maybe even a later period, No vehicles just wooden carts so far, no streets lights or lamps or any sign of electrical wires or gas piping anywhere and the air..._

Edward then inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled through his mouth.

 _Its similar back in Resembool where there's hardly any industrial factories or vehicles passing by, but Resembool is in the countryside and this place looks to be as densely packed as a city._

He then looked back at Mina, who was sitting against one of the windows jutting out of the roof, her crying lessen after a while but she still had a trail of tears flowing from her eyes which she tried to rub away. He began to study what he heard her call the "ODM Gear", which they must use to get close to those "Titans" as she called them.

 _Weird_ _, they seem to be behind in technological advancements on all fields when compared to ours but yet these people were able to develop some kind of grappling hook device and it must be powered by something that allows them to move at incredible speeds._

Alphonse knelt down on both knees in front of Mina; maybe close to an hour ago he was at home smiling and enjoying the time he spent with his brother and close childhood friend Winry. Now he was on a rooftop surrounded by giant man eating monsters and has to comfort a young soldier over the death of one of her comrades all the while feeling responsible for his death; his thoughts were consumed with what he could have done better, he thought about what to say to her and what excuse he would use to justify his failings.

 _If I had only reacted faster, if I had only taken out those giants sooner, if I had only just remembered those Alkhestry lesson I could... I could have saved him._

"I'm sorry, Mina" Al said softly, his voice aching with sorrow, Mina looked up to face him; her silvery grey eyes staring into his eyes which a slightly darker shade of gold than his hair. "If I had just been faster" he clenched his fist in frustration as he looked away from her gaze, he didn't want to see those eyes look at him accusingly. "If I had just remembered I could of-" his apology was cut short when Mina suddenly threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Alphonse was dumbstruck and didn't know what to think.

"Thank you, if you hadn't shown up I'd be dead." She replied, her voice cracking slightly. Al was taken aback by her reaction, but he unclenched his fist and gently placed one hand on her back to reciprocate the hug.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." Alphonse muttered still wanting to apologize.

"Hey" Said Ed, watching the moment unfold while he walked back to them, the two of them separated from each other and Ed knelt beside Al to face Mina "I'm sorry about your friend" he paused for a few seconds "Are you alright to talk now?" He said, trying to match the softness of Al's voice.

"Yeah" Mina replied as she rubbed her eye slightly.

"Alright, first things first, were there anyone else with you?" Ed asked, so far there were three people accounted for; one alive and two of them dead he needed to know if there were others who they could help, perhaps they might not be too late in saving the two who were ahead of the three others.

Mina's eyes widen at the sudden realization, she had been so preoccupied; Almost being eaten, the two them showing up suddenly and the death of Mylius and Nic that she had forgotten about the rest of her squad "Armin and Eren!" She exclaimed "They were ahead of us; Eren's had his leg bitten off and Armin was close to him, last time I saw him he was on the roof of one of the buildings."

"Right that other guy and his buddy!" Ed replied, quickly remembering.

The three of them quickly got up, ran to the top end of the curved roof and began to scan the rooftops of the other buildings "Hey!" Ed yelled "There's a blond hair guy sitting there, is that him?" He pointed to one of the buildings in the opposite street, Mina turned the direction he was pointing, and it was Armin.

"Yeah, that's him!" she replied, she reached down for the handles of her ODM and aimed them at the other roof. There was a weak click of the trigger which failed to be accompanied by the loud boom of a grappling hook being fired out of the barrel; Mina quickly realized that her gear didn't work after she collided with that brick pillar.

 _Crap I can't get to him if my gear isn't working_ she thought, she then remember Mylius, his gear. She looked down at his body, Alphonse had placed Mylius' hands together at the center of his body, and she walked up towards him and knelt down for a few seconds staring at the peaceful image of her deceased comrade.

 _Mylius… I'm sorry about this but I promise I won't forget you, Nic and Thomas..._ Mina thought solemnly.

She gently rolled his body to its side and began detaching his gear from his back; she placed it off to the side and carefully rolled him once more onto his back, placing his hands together on his chest, looking down at his peaceful form with a solemn expression.

Both Ed and Al watched silently as she attached all the necessary components to her body. She then walked back towards the edge of the roof, aimed the handles at the rooftop where Armin sat and pulled the trigger. Two long cables fired out of what looked to be two small barrels from the sides of her hips and latched onto the roof, she sighed in relief.

"I'll go to him, you guys stay here" said Mina, looking at the two of them. She then jumped off the ledge of the roof, the cables pulling her forwards as a stream of smoke poured out from a device on her lower back. She landed on the ledge of the other roof and walked towards Armin, she knelt down in front of him and placed her hands at his sides, he felt sticky for some reason. "Armin! Armin, are you ok?" She asked "speak to me, Armin, where's Eren?" Armin continued to stare into nothingness with an empty look on his face; his eyes wide and his mouth agape. She then started to lightly shake him, hoping it would wake him from his daze, his eyes then turned towards her.

"M...Mina" he whispered, she let out a sigh of relief and tightly hugged Armin, not caring the gluey substance that coated his uniform "I'm... am I dead?" Before she could respond she caught something out of the corner of her eye, splashes of blood, she quickly pulled back and checked if Armin was bleeding, he wasn't. It wasn't his blood. _Oh God..._ she let go of Armin and slowly shuffled her way to the edge of the roof and peered down to the ground _Please God no… please don't be dead…_ as her eyes scanned the floor she caught sight of the upper half of an arm laying on a small pool of blood. She immediately moved back _Eren... no…_

Sudden the sound of cables zipping from behind caught her attention; she turned to see Connie, Krista and Ymir along with other cadets landing on the ledge of the same rooftop as them, walking towards them.

"Mina, Armin are you two ok?" Connie asked with a concerned look on his face "Are you two hurt? Where's the rest of your squad?! Where's Eren? What the hell happened over there?" He said pointing at the mess of walls and spikes. The two of them were hit with a barrage of questions from Connie "Was that always there?"

"Our squad?" Armin turned to face Connie, then Mina who sat beside side and then it hit him, the memories of the horrible events that had transpired flooded back to him. He broke down and began to scream "You useless dolt!" he cried "just die!" He started to cry heavily, his hands on his head as pulled at his hair, both Mina and Connie were taken aback by what they saw.

"Hey, Calm down Armin" said Connie, he then turned to Mina "where's the rest of the squad."

She turned her face away from Connie and stared at the ground, her face filled with anguish "They're… They're…" she muttered as she felt throat dry up and a new flood of tears creeping to her eyes as the agony of losing another friend dawned on her once more.

"They're dead, Connie" interrupted Ymir who was standing on the top of the tiled roof, her backed faced towards them "can't you tell? These two are the only survivors."

"Shut up! If that's the case then why are Armin and Mina here in one piece?" Connie retorted.

"Who knows? Maybe they managed to escape while the rest got eaten, using their deaths as cover, though if Eren death prevented two of his squad members from sharing the same fate then I guess you can say his death wasn't completely all for nothing." Ymir responded.

"It wasn't like that!" Mina yelled angrily as she turned to face Ymir, slamming her fist on the tiles. Almost instantly the anguish she was feeling was swept aside for anger at Ymir's suggest; she never would have let her comrades die in her place let alone use their deaths for such a cowardly advantage. Ymir looked at her with a blank expression as Mina stared her down with gritted teeth and tears just on the edge of her eyes.

"You bitch" growled Connie, seeing that her remark had painful struck both Armin and Mina "want me to shut you up for good?"

"Stop it you guys!" pleaded Krista on the verge of tears, stepping in to separate Ymir from Connie and Mina "We've lost so many friends so quickly, we'll all just panicking, it's natural." Ymir then roughly placed her arm around Krista and smiled.

"That's my Krista" Ymir said almost laughing, leaning in forward near Krista's face "when this is all over, why don't we get marr-" Her attention was caught when she spotted individuals watching them, she pointed towards them "Who the hell are those guys?" The group turned their attention towards them.

Connie jumped from the rooftop and using his ODM gear propelled him to the rooftops of the opposite building where they were, Mina quickly followed suit."Hey, you guys shouldn't be here, all civilians were meant to evacuate Trost, why are you up here? The gates probably closed by now, you're stuck in the middle of a battlefield!" Connie exclaimed.

The two watched for a few seconds as the guy continued going on a tangent about how this place wasn't safe. He was shorter than them, his hair was so short he might as well of been bald and he had a round face with hazel colour eyes and an average build. Before the brothers could explain themselves, Connie caught sight of the cadet's body behind them and the dried blood on Alphonse's hands; he looked at them with wide eyes "Di... Did you do that?" He then raised his blades at them.

"Wait! You got the wrong idea!" Alphonse said trying to reason with him, Edward pushed Alphonse back slightly as he stepped forward to confront him.

"Connie!" yelled Mina who just landed on the ledge preventing a fight from breaking out "these guys saved my life and they tried to save Mylius too; they used some kind of power that allows them to make walls and pillars in seconds" she then pointed to the ground "Look!" Connie turned to the direction she was pointing to, he lowered his blades and looked in wide-eyed awe at the mess of walls, pillars and spikes that littered the road "I don't know how but they make them by just putting their hands on the ground."

"They can't have..." Connie muttered as he stared at the cluster of walls and spikes.

"If they couldn't then I'd be dead" responded Mina with a fierce resolve, fuelled by the anger she felt when Ymir accused Armin and her of cowardice.

Ymir and Krista also approached them and began to observe the brothers' handy work, Connie then turned his head back towards them, his eyes still wide and his mouth slight agape, he was almost terrified to be in their presence; if what Mina was saying is true than he wondered whether these guys were humans "Just who the hell are you guys?"

"I'm Edward Elric" he responded, he then placed his hand on the other blond haired guy's shoulders "and this is my brother Alphonse Elric" The group of trainees examined the boys; they must have been about their age, the way they were dressed you'd assume they were maybe the sons of one of those rich merchants and lived a comfortable life inside Wall Sina; their leather black shoes and what they assumed looked to be finely crafted trousers and shirts was something you wouldn't see the average person in Wall Rose wearing. Both of them were about the same height with medium build and had golden eyes but they identified Edward as the one with the pony tail and antenna stick out of his hair, had rounder face and was wearing a white button shirt while his brother Alphonse was the guy with the shorter hair and broader face had a plain orange jumper.

"We're not from here" said Alphonse "it's a bit of a long story."

"So this is your handy work I'm assuming" said Ymir pointing at their mess. Ed and Al looked at her; she was maybe a little bit taller than they were with a slender build, had slightly messy brown hair, freckles on her face and golden eyes like them. She was standing next to another girl; again slender build but she was short, very short, she had big blue eyes and long blond hair and there was also something weirdly angelic about her.

"Yeah" replied Edward, looking at the mess they caused "It's basically an ability we have..."

"Hey, you guys!" Came a voice behind from them; it was one of the other trainees "We got the signal" the trainee informed them.

"Looks like we're falling back" remarked Connie, he then scanned the rooftops "hey, where's Armin?"

"He left; all he said was that he was heading to assist the rear guard." replied the trainee "Hey who are those guys?"

Before the either Ed or Al could reintroduce themselves, the sound of a loud bell rang through the air.

"That's the signal to withdraw, no time to reintroduce yourselves" replied Connie, he then turned to the Elric brothers; after listening to them talk he quickly figured that they seemed human and if they saved Mina than they had to be on their side "You guys are gonna have to come with us" he walked towards the ledge. "Alright one of you is gonna have to grab on from behind me." Edward grabbed hold of Connie, he wrapped one arm around the stomach and other above his chest "Hold on tight" said Connie as he pushed off the ledge.

"AHHHHHH!" Edward screamed, Alphonse watched as Edward zipped off on the back on Connie, he was then tapped on the shoulder by Mina.

"We should get going" she said.

"Oh, right" responded Al, he then looks down to the ground _that's a high drop..._

He looked down at his dried blood stained hands; he rubbed them together getting most of blood off of him. He approached Mina who was standing on the ledge, one foot ready to push off and Al began to wrap his arms around her. Almost immediately he realized just how uncomfortably awkward it was as he wrapped one arm around her stomach, the other arm carefully above her chest with his chest pressing against her back, he blushed profusely from the embarrassment he was feeling "S... Sorry" he said apologetically.

"No no, it's... Uh... its fine" replied Mina stuttered, her own cheeks red with embarrassment. "J- jus- just hold on tight" and with she pushed her and Alphonse from the ledge.

"Wooooahhhahhhhh!"


	4. Chapter 4: The Will to Fight

**Chapter 4: The Will to Fight**

Jean sat looking defeated; his body slumped over with his hand covering half of his face as he thought about the futility of it all "We do nothing" he said "they've rung the bell to signal the withdraw, finally... But we're out of gas and can't climb the wall." He paused for a second before finishing, letting the hopelessness and dread of the situation fully sink in "We're all gonna die here." The supply squad had abandoned them and barricaded themselves in the HQ "Those cowards, leaving out us here to dry and we can't even replenish our gas stocks with the Titans swarming the HQ, the situation is fucked."

"We can't just stand around here! We have to fight tooth and nail against the tide as they come!" Declared Connie "if we try and scurry away like a mouse we'll waste what little gas we have and once that happens we lose our mobility." He banged his fist on the gas tank to bring home his point.

Before Jean could respond to Connie's call to lift the Titan siege on the HQ a voice from behind them stopped him "Hey, sorry if I'm interrupting" The both of them turned their heads to face him; it was Edward. Ed studied Jean appearance; he looked to be maybe a few inches taller than him, had small brown eyes, spiky hair with an undercut and a long, horse like, face.

"I couldn't help but listen in on you guys, from my understanding your ODM gear is powered through gas, right? And you guys don't seem to have enough to make an escape, but maybe enough to head to that large building there?" Edward pointed towards the HQ which was crawling with Titans.

"Yeah" replied Jean "Got any ideas?"

"Yeah, its success depends on one other factor though" said Edward, he then scanned the length of road and turned his eyes towards the HQ again "how far does this road go to the HQ?" He asked.

"About half ways then it cuts off into different roads and streets, why? You planning on using the roads? you do know we're on these rooftops to avoid Titans?" questioned Jean almost mockingly.

"Thanks for telling me, asshole" Edward replied with an annoyed look on his face "what I was about to suggest is that my brother and I could quickly make a wall on the road for you guys to run across, that way you use whatever gas you have for the other half of the stretch and hopefully still have enough to take out the Titans swarming the building."

Jean looked at Edward puzzlingly "you're telling me you and your brother can make a wall along this long stretch of road?"

Connie enthusiastically turned back to Jean "They can do it" his voice filled with fierce determination "Mina said they saved her life using their abilities and I've seen the aftermath of it, Jean; there were walls, pillars and spikes all over the place, there was even a large crossbow!."

Jean sat up and began to contemplate the idea If what he says is true, then that could work, _we might get out of this_ Jean then looked around at the dozens of other trainees around them, all of them seemed paralyzed with fear, no one was instilled with any kind of fighting spirit to take on a Titan, let alone group of them. Jean's body once again fell into a slump with a hand holding his head. "It's probably the best option we got, but look around, we're all just terrified cadets; most of us haven't seen a Titan before this battle and on top of that the vast majority of the vanguard has been slaughtered and I don't think any of us trainees could lead such a suicide mission" said Jean solemnly.

"Why don't you do it?" Asked Edward to Jean "You've seem to have a handle on the situation I'm sure someone like you could lead them or you Connie, you've got a fighting spirit or what about her?" He said pointing towards Sasha who was trying desperately to convince a bunch of other cadets to fight.

Both of them were taken a back from the suggestion "we're not cut out for leadership positions, Connie and Sasha especially." said Jean.

Connie's body then slumped, he folded his arms and let out a sigh "so I guess it's no use then."

"If I had known it would come to this, I wouldn't have led such a boring life." Said Jean.

"So we're just gonna sit here on our asses then? Wait here to die?" Edward questioned, his voice filled with frustration and anger over the idea that the majority have coincided to their fate. "I see, well then, when you all decide to grow a backbone and start to act, then we'll be over there." Edward than walked off in the direction of his brother, Armin and Mina.

Jean looked back at Edward with an annoyed expression on his face _I'm the asshole? Look at you_ Jean thought.

 _This guy must be some damn suicidal idiot; all too willing to throw his and other people's lives away for it. I'm sure if that other self-righteous idiot were here those two would get along nicely and then die some noble pointless death._

Edward sat down next to Alphonse, who was sitting adjacent to Mina and Armin who sat with their back against a watchtower wall, Edward then looked over to Mina who was trying to comfort a traumatized Armin; sitting next to him, resting his head on her shoulder and rubbing his arm up and down slightly with her hand.

"You know brother, you shouldn't be so hard on them" said Alphonse turning his head to Edward "They're only trainees, most of them are around our age and some of them have just seen their friends die in front of them."

Edward turned to look at Al and then Armin. Poor guy, he's seen his friends die in front of him, probably eaten right in front of him, _no one should have to see something so messed up_ Ed thought _What kind of bastard sends kids in to fight monsters_?

Ed let out a sigh and lowered his head "you're right Al" replied Edward in a hushed tone "I'm just frustrated it's seems as though nobody wants to do anything; it looks like everyone just gave up."

"If Eren were here, he would have jumped at your idea and rallied everyone around it." Said Mina remorsefully as she thought back to Eren's speech during the night of graduation, she remembered the fire that was lit up from within her about Humanity having a future in this world... how quickly things have change "Edward, how do you and Alphonse intend to get to HQ without ODM gear? Do you need someone to carry you guys again?" She asked realizing a possible fatal flaw in the plan involving their own escape.

"Don't worry about us by the look of these buildings we could probably jump our way there, you guys need to focus on getting to your base and taking out those Titans." Mina nodded her head.

Alphonse turned his head to Mina "Mina, I have to ask, about the Titans, they're able to regenerate damaged body parts, but do they have a weak spot?" Asked Alphonse "or is that in order to kill them you have to continually inflict damage on them, I ask because my brother and I have faced enemies with regenerative abilities and the only way we defeated them was to continually damage them faster than they could regenerate." Al looked back on his first encounter with them and the shock of watching them survive being impaled, he wonder if they were perhaps some lesser form of homunculi without the other abilities which made them formidable enemies.

"Their napes, it's their only known weakness; inflicting a deep enough wound on their nape is fatal to them." Replied Mina, followed by a question of her own "what do you mean you've faced enemies with those abilities? There are people who have Titan regenerative powers? Where are you guys from?"

"As we said, we're not from here" Said Edward "we don't even know what city this is or what's going on around here, all we know so far is that you guys are fighting these giant monsters which seem hell bent on eating everyone they can get their hands on, I didn't even know why you guys had a huge wall around the city until we had an encounter with them."

"You're in Trost district, it's one of cities connected to Wall Rose." She answered, surprised by their ignorance of the situation. _How do they not know? That Humanity has been at war against the Titans for over a century now or the purpose of these walls? And who or what are these enemies who they fought with regenerative powers? How did they get those abilities, no human has even been caught doing such a thing and how did they not know they were in the Trost district? The only way they could be this clueless about all this is if they-_ Then it hit her and the realization sent a shiver down her spine.

"Are you guys... from outside the walls?" Asked Mina hesitantly, her eyes wide and focused in anticipation of their answer.

Edward noticed that Armin's eyes had shifted towards him and his brother the moment those words left her mouth, breaking his traumatized state for second and he could of sworn that there were now others listening in on their conversation, it felt as if multiple pairs of eyes from an entire group of people were burning at the back of his head, waiting for him to answer and contemplating their move on how'd he'd answer. However before he could open his mouth the sound of footsteps from one of the other cadets running urgently towards them caught their attention. She was about the same height as Ed and Al, had short black hair and features similar to those in Xing and wore a blood red scarf with her uniform.

"Armin!" yelled the cadet, who sprinted towards them.

"Mikasa" whispered Mina, with that Armin lifted his head from Mina shoulder and began to tense up with, the feeling of dread and guilt consuming his entire being _There's no way I can look her in the eyes_ he thought _What am I going to tell her, If I had known it would come to this, then I would of rather of died with him_ he thought back to when Eren was being eaten by the Titan.

Mina could only just hold back the tears as she saw Mikasa, she dreaded being the one to tell her that they were the only survivors, telling her that Eren, the only family she had was gone.

Mikasa approached them and knelt in front of them, unlike most people, she had completely ignored the brothers who were only just a foot away from her "Armin, are you ok?" She asked concerned "Is he ok, is he injured?" she asked Mina; but neither of them answer instead Armin could only just stare blankly at the ground and Mina just stared off to the sided, trying to not burst into tears again.

"Where's Eren?" asked Mikasa.

That was the question, the one question the two of them dreaded they had to answer, Armin lifted his head revealing the tears that flowed down his face to Mikasa, her eyes began to widen, she stood up, took a step backwards and blankly stared at the two of them.

"Trainee squad thirty four, our squad Tomas Wagner, Nic Teaz, Mylius Zermusky and... Eren Yeager" Armin said, almost choking on every word "They bravely fell in the line of duty" Mina closed her eyes tightly at Armin's words, wiping away more tears that she was no longer able to hold back. Edward and Alphonse sat with their heads lowered out of respect for those two's fallen comrades, a part of them couldn't help but feel responsible for their deaths; had they of not hesitated, had they of acted faster and saved them. "I'm sorry Mikasa, Eren had sacrificed himself for me and I couldn't do anything." People began to gather around them listening on the emotional conversation, they muttered to themselves.

"They've been almost wiped out?"

"Is this what happens when we face the Titans head on?"

Mikasa stood there in silence for a while as she stared off into the distance; both Armin and Mina expected her to start yelling at them, telling them how it should have been them that died in Eren's place and how she hated them for not being able to save him. Armin lowered his head again having said his piece. Mikasa gently placed her hand on Armin's arm.

"Armin" she said softly, Armin head moved upwards to meet hers "Calm down, this isn't the time or place to be emotional, you too Mina" she said turning her head toward Mina "both of you stand up." She held both their hand and raised them, their bodies' following suit. Mikasa then turned around and proceeded to walk off "Marco" she called out "correct me if I'm wrong, but if we eliminate the Titans swarming the building then everyone can replenish their gas supplies and climb the wall, correct?" her voice emanating with authority.

"Well yeah" replied Marco, both Edward and Alphonse looked at him, he was a fairly tall guy with short hair, a broad face, and similar to Ymir, had freckles on his cheeks "but there's too many of them, you can't take them on."

"I can" she declared raising her blade in the air, she never once raised her voice to shout but she had the attention of every trainee "I'm strong, stronger than all of you, extremely strong, I can kill all the Titans there, even if I have to do it by myself, you're all either incompetent or just spineless cowards, how pathetic." She pointed her blade at them "You can all sit here and twiddle your thumbs and watch how it's done."

"Mikasa, that crazy!" pleaded one trainee.

"You want to fight all those Titans!" Questioned another.

"That impossible, even for you" stated a third voice "you can't win."

"If I lose then I will die" she stated coldly "but if I win then I live, but if I don't fight then I can't win" her words lingered in the air and afterwards a sad silence settled in around everyone.

She was about to leap off the ledge when the sound of slow claps breaking the silence stopped her, she turned around to see one of the blond hair individuals who sat near Armin and Mina clapping his hands at her with a smirk on his face, his hair was done up in a pony tail and he wore a white button shirt.

"You know, as far as motivational speeches go, yours is pretty good; got some hard truths in there, but you came off a little bit prideful with the I'm strong part but the finish was almost perfect" he said with an smirk which annoyed her "it's about time someone here had the guts to stand up and fight."

"And just who the hell are you?" Mikasa asked, her grip tightening on the handles of her blade, beyond irritated by the smirk on his face.

"Edward Elric" he introduced himself "that guy over there is my brother Alphonse and if you're planning on storming that castle over there." He pointed towards the HQ which was still swarming with titans "my brother and I would be happy to help you."

"How exactly?" questioned Mikasa.

"He said that he and his brother can make a wall for us to run along which gets us halfway to HQ so that we wouldn't use as much gas." Said Connie "They can create things out of nothing; Mina said they saved her life doing it."

Mikasa thought on Connie's words, it seemed impossible what he was saying nobody could do that, but if those two could then she'd take the opportunity, she'd need every edge she could get to eliminate the Titans swarming the HQ and if there are people who can vouch for their abilities.

Mikasa turned back to Edward "is this true?" Edward nodded as a response "Make the road." She ordered, in an authoritative tone. Edward and Alphonse ran towards the edge of the roof, Edward clapped his hands together and slammed them down, suddenly a slope to the ground emerged from the side of the building.

"what the hell?" said one trainee.

"They just made a slope out of the wall!" Yelled another, Ed and Al then slide down the slope to the ground, the two of them quickly slammed their hands on the ground and a tall thin wall about the same height as the buildings slowly rose up from the middle of the road, the sides of the road were receding into the wall revealing the dirt underneath.

"Titan!" yelled Sasha "coming down the road, get outta there!" Alphonse turned to face the Titan, he ran up to the bottom end of the tall transmuted wall and slammed his hand on the ground; suddenly a large stone cannon appeared from the ground, fired straight at the Titan's neck and had blown apart everything from the shoulders up. The Titan's headless body collapsed onto the ground and began to dissolve in a cloud of smoke.

"Ha!" Yelled Alphonse, triumphantly "Try surviving that!" suddenly more Titans began to walk up the same road, Al clenched his teeth and slammed his hands back on the ground again; this time transmuting ten meter long slanted pikes to hold them at bay and cover the Cadets' retreat.

The trainees could only watch, stunned by what they witnessed; walls, spikes and even cannons erupting from the ground by just clapping their hands.

"They can't be human" said of the trainees.

"They must be from the heavens" whispered another.

Once the wall was finished Edward transmuted a staircase on its side; both he and Alphonse urgently climbed upwards to the top, Ed then yelled at the group of cadets "Hey! Get a move on." Mikasa leaped from the ledge, landed gracefully on the wall and sprinted towards the HQ. She was then followed by Edward and then Alphonse who turned back to face Mina and Armin and signaled them to follow; both of them ran toward the ledge and leaped onto the wall to follow Mikasa and the Elrics.

Jean muttered to himself as he watched the small group run along the wall headlong into battle "Ed must be deaf because your oratory skills are terrible, were those harsh words meant to call us into action?" He paused for a second "Eren, this is entirely your fault."

"Hey!" He yelled from the top of his lungs "I don't know about you, I wasn't taught to let my comrades fight alone! Get a move on! Or are we really the spineless cowards they think we are?!" He quickly leaped onto the wall and started running, followed closely by Connie and Marco.

"Hey you weaklings, cowards, idiots!" yelled Sasha at the other trainees before jumping onto the wall herself.

"Oh what the hell..." said another trainee as he unsheathed his blade. It happened suddenly, a call, a rallying cry to action and soon the paralyzed cadets found their will to fight and charged, leaping onto the wall to lift the siege of the HQ from the Titans.


	5. Chapter 5: Charge

**Chapter 5: Charge**

Edward looked back to see a long line of trainees run along the wall _Looks like they found the will to fight after all_ he thought to himself, he felt a strange mixture of admiration for their will to move forward and a slight pang of guilt over whether he was too hard on them, that feeling quickly gave way to shock as he saw more Titans heading for them.

"They're coming for us!" Screamed one of the trainees.

"Just keep running, we'll evade them at the halfway point!" Ordered Jean.

 _They must gather around places with a high concentration of people_ thought Alphonse as he watched the incoming horde approach them _I've gotta hold them off, so that the others can escape_. Alphonse clapped his palms together but before he could use his alchemy to transmute a way down Mikasa leapt from the wall, a burst of gas from the exhaust pushed her into the air, she swung around an incoming Titan and carved out a large cut into its nape.

"Mikasa!" cried Armin, he fired the cables from his ODM gear in pursuit of her, he was followed by Mina going in to support her only surviving squad member.

Alphonse slowed down his running to watch the three of them glide away, he wanted to go after them but Ed moved him along; grabbing his collar and pulling him forward.

"Keep moving Al, they'll be fine" Edward turned his head towards the direction of Mikasa who had cut down another approaching Titan, all while being followed by Armin and Mina. "Looks like she can handle them." said Ed, reassuring Alphonse.

"Jean!" yelled Connie as he fired the cables from his ODM gear "I'm going after them, lead the others!"

Jean looked back at Connie who leapt off the ledge in pursue of the others, he tightly closed his eyes in frustration _Damn it Connie, why is it me leading them?_ "Alright people! We're close to the half way point; prepare to switch to ODM gear on my order!"

 _We'll have enough gas to make it to the HQ, but not enough to completely takeout the Titans around the buildings_ Jean thought _We'll just have to take out as many as we can and quickly retreat inside_ he then looked to the Elric brothers who were running some distances in front of them _We're close to the edge, how are they going to get to HQ with ODM gear?_

"Hey!" yelled Jean "how are you guys getting to the HQ?"

Edward turned back to look at Jean "Don't worry about us!" he responded "Worry about getting yourselves there and taking out those titans!" He turned his head towards Alphonse "Al! We're close to the halfway point! I'm gonna transmute a ledge, get ready to jump to building on the left, we can use the rooftops to get to the fortress!" Yelled Edward.

"Ready when you are!" Responded Alphonse, running behind Ed.

While they ran forward Edward clapped his hands together and skidded his left hand on the side of the wall; transmuting a small ledge for them to jump off "we're at the end, Jump!" Yelled Edward, the brothers jumped from ledge on the wall to the rooftops of the buildings; from there they began to leap from rooftop to rooftop toward the HQ.

"This is it! prepare switch to ODM gear" ordered Jean to the other trainees, he leapt from the edge of the wall and fired the cables of his ODM gear, he as propelled himself toward he turned his head to the left to see the Elric brothers rooftop hopping their way forward, he was amazed at how fast they were and how graceful they were in their jumps and landings _They're done this before_ Jean thought to himself

As they jumped from roof to roof Edward couldn't help but be reminded of the time he and his brother were in North city looking for Scar and Mai though unlike North city this city wasn't too damn big for them to navigate through, though they were gonna need to be fast if they wanted to evade the titans along the way.

* * *

It all happened so suddenly; she was ready to fight the large Titan with nothing but her blunt and shorten blade when the Titan behind ignores her and instead strikes its own with a killer blow to its face, the sheer force of its punch had placed immense pressure on its footing that it cracked the ground underneath it, sending small bits of the ground into the air and Mikasa off her feet. She watched as the Titan which approached her was sent flying down the street, she looked up at the other Titan, observing its muscular features, its oily hair and sunken in green eyes.

Mikasa watched on stunned as the Titan furiously tore apart its own kind and let out a vicious roar when it had finished.

She was suddenly grabbed from behind by someone and swung upward onto the roof of a nearby building. She turned around to see Armin's face; he was accompanied by Mina and Connie.

"Mikasa, are you alright?" Asked a concerned Mina "we saw you hit the roof and fall."

"I'm fine" replied Mikasa in a monotone voice.

"Good, now c'mon you guys, we gotta get the hell outta here!" Connie yelled, his eyes caught sight of the two tall Titans just meters away from them "There's two fifteen meter class Titans!" The four of them turned their attention towards the two Titans

"wait" said Mikasa "that Titan, it's not going after us." They watched as the two Titans stared down each other; after a very brief period of silence before both Titans let out blood curdling roars. The group watched in stunned silence as the muscular Titan raised its hands in a fighting position and swung its left fist to deliver a devastating blow to the cheek, sending the head of the other Titan flying towards them and into the nearby church tower. It then crushed the neck of the headless Titan to finish off its kill.

"It knew to go for the weak point." Observed Armin "it's not reacting to us at all, if this were any other Titan it would have gone after us already."

"This isn't a mindless Titan; it knew the weak spots of its kind and purposefully went for it and the way it raised its fists, it's knows how to fight hand to hand, this kind has never been recorded before, a Titan with intelligence." added Mina, watching the Titan with a feeling of great unease.

"It's an abnormal then" said Connie" it doesn't matter now, we still have to get outta here!"

"Wait!" Yelled Armin "Mikasa' out of gas."

Connie turned around to face Mikasa, "Are you kidding me? We can't take out the Titans around the HQ without you!" Panicked Connie.

"Mikasa, take my gas." Said Armin as he removed his gas canister from his ODM gear "I haven't got a lot but it's the best chance you have." He then began to replace Mikasa empty canister with his " there's no point in me having it, but please use it carefully." Mikasa stared blankly at Armin.

 _I moved forward, not knowing the responsibility I had in leading those who had followed me, I gave up on my own life without realizing I was responsible for their lives too._ thought Mikasa _Armin don't do this... you're the only family I have left._

"Armin, don't do this." Said Mina, she then took one of her own canisters from her gear "I've got more than what you have in your, take one of mine" she said as she began to remove one of her canisters to give to Mikasa.

"No Mina!" Said Armin, turning to her, he had a look of mild anger on his face "it has to be me doing this, Mikasa, you and Connie need to get out of here and back to the HQ without me, I'll only hold you guys back." Mina looked at Armin, stunned by his answer.

"There" Armin said as he tested out Mikasa's gear "it's all working and I've replaced your blades with mine, I know you'll put them to better use." He then held up the short used blade that was in Mikasa' handle, staring at his own reflection" just leave this one with me, if it comes to it, I'd rather not be eaten alive by them." The three of them looked at Armin astonished of what he was saying "it's my fault Eren is dead, it should be him standing here, not me."

Mikasa took the blade from his hands and threw it off the ledge.

Armin watched numbly as Mikasa took the blade from him "but..." She knelt down beside him.

"Armin" she grabbed his wrist "I'm not abandoning you here" she pulled him up.

"Armin" he turned to face an outraged Mina "Eren gave his life for yours, don't make his sacrifice be for nothing!" She proclaimed as she held back tears once more.

Armin lowered is head and clenched his fist, he shut his eyes tightly to hold back his own tears "you're right, I'm so sorry..."

"It doesn't matter now, all that matters now is getting back to HQ." added Mikasa.

"Bu... But you can't go jumping around while carrying someone, not when there's Titans crawling around the area."

"We're not leaving you Armin" Mina said as she grabbed his arm "Mikasa and Connie, you two were top of the class, so it only make sense for you guys cover us."

"Right!" responded Connie.

Armin could only watch as the four of them rushed toward the ledge to escape, he turned to look once more at the abnormal Titan which attacked its own, his eyes widen as he formulated an insane plan "Listen!" He shouted, the others turned to face him "I have an idea, but it'll take you guys to do it, so you'll have to decide." He paused for a few seconds "it's a crazy plan but..."

* * *

The trainees began their approach to the HQ, thanks to that wall it looked as though no one was going to run out of gas before they reached the base, however they didn't have enough gas to engage in a drawn out battle against the Titans. Jean assessed the area; the Titans had the HQ and surrounding area swarmed, they'd need to take out some of the Titans to get into the building. _We need to be fast_ Jean thought _we'll each have to pick out targets and quickly escape into the building._

"Alright people! No drawn out battle" he ordered, yelling at the top of his lungs "pick a Titan, kill it and escape into HQ!" He spotted a Titan in front of the building, a class fifteen meter Titan _That one_ he thought, picking his target _I'll take out that one and hopefully breakthrough one of the windows of the H-_ his thoughts were interrupted as one of the trainees to his right was suddenly snatched by a Titan, his wails of terror pierced though the air, Jean turned his head to see the trainee caught in the grasp of one of the Titans "Damn it!" He was getting closer to his target and the HQ, he readied his blades and swung, cutting deep into the 15 meter class Titan's neck _got it!_ He thought triumphantly as he crashed into one of the windows of the HQ.

Jean tumbled onto the floor of the HQ, as he got up from the floor other trainees began to crash through the windows along with more trainees following through the now broken windows.

Jean examined the trainees who had burst through the window, most of them had evaporating blood on their blades.

 _Have we done it?_ Jean thought, a smile of relief appeared on his face _have we freed the HQ from the Titans?_ He turned to face the window, his face dropped as he saw a large group of Titans still surrounding the building and the other unlucky trainees who were caught by Titans being eaten only meters away from their salvation.

Jean body slumped as he placed his head in his hand, _How many people could have made it if I just told them to retreat, not fight?_

His thoughts were interrupted by a sound from under one of the desks in the room; he turned his head to see two trainees cowering underneath it.

"Hey, you guys were part of the support squad?" asked Jean dazedly.

They nodded their heads in response; quickly Jean leaned down and picked one of them up from the desk by the collar and threw a hard blow to the cowering trainees' temple. He was quickly restrained by Marco who held him back.

"You cowards, you left us on our own! People are dead because of you!" He viciously shouted at them.

Suddenly that sound of more glass shattering caught the attention of everyone in the room. Marco let go of Jean, they looked to see who it was; at first they expected it to be more trainees from breaking though, but the gold hair and eyes were unmistakable; it was the Elric brothers. They both tumbled across the floor and slowly sat up, they gasped for air trying to catch their breath after their long run through the titan infested stretch of city.

 _It's a good thing those things are slow_ thought Ed _Otherwise we couldn't of made it_. Ed sluggishly picked him and Alphonse from the floor, Al rested his arm on Edward, they smiled at each other through their labored breathing. Everyone else in the room stared at them with wide eyed awe.

"Hey, aren't those the Elric brothers? Whispered one trainee.

"They actually made it?" Whispered another.

"These guys must be fast" whispered a third.

"How the hell d-" but before Jean could finish his sentence, the sound of what could only be described as incoming cannon fire closing in on the building was heard.

"Take cover!" Yelled a trainee.

A powerful crash on the left of the room had sent everyone ducking for cover as bits of wall was thrown across the room; the force of the crash had pushed Jean and others onto the ground.

Jean picked himself up and faced the now large gaping hole in the wall, his eyes met with the large unblinking eyes of two titans. Almost everyone in the room began to panic and head for the door out of the room and deeper into the building.

"There's too many of us in the room!" Yelled a trainee.

"They're gonna get in!" Cried another.

"Where's Mikasa?!" Shouted one of the trainees in the panic.

"Forget her, she and the guys who went after her are dead!" Responded another.

Edward and Alphonse clapped their hands together, preparing to fight the titans once more or at least hold them long enough for the trainees to escape. In the exhausted state they were in they couldn't possibly hope to clear out the titans who were trying to claw their way in.

For Jean everything just seemed to slow down, the trainees running out of the room and the Elric brothers clapping their hands together, he could only stand and stare at the large emotionless faces staring back at him, he was paralyzed with fear, lost in their hungry eyes.

 _I guess it's time to face reality_

 _Was I really so foolish as to believe?_

 _No, I guess on some deeper level I had known all along_

 _There's no winning_

 _Not against them_

That's when he noticed it; a fist. A large titan sized fist suddenly being pressed into to the cheek to the titan on the right, it's cheek producing ripples as the fist impacted.

"Wha-"

 **Boom!**

The two titans who were peering in through the large hole were sent flying to their left, that's when another titan came into view, those who were left in the room observed the titan, its oily black hair, its sharp jagged teeth, its incredible muscular form and its radiant green eyes. It let out a deafening roar at the other titans and stormed on wards to finish them off.

Everyone who was left in the room watched, stunned by what they were witnessing: a titan attack other titans.

Suddenly the sound of glass shattering caught the attention of everyone in the room, it was Mikasa followed by Connie and Mina who was carrying Armin.

"Mikasa?!" said Jean, surprised at her survival.

"Man... we just made it" exclaimed Connie "we were pretty much running on fumes, but we made it!" He placed his blades back into the metal containers, while he was told to cover Armin and Mina, Mikasa had been the one to clear a path for them and shifting the focus of the abnormal on the HQ,Connie turned to face Armin who was hopping off of Mina's back; he roughly placed his arm around Armin

"You're a damn genius!" Praised Connie "you're crazy plan worked!"

Jean watched them, stunned by their survival; he had thought they were dead, deviating from the path and into the titan hordes.

"You guys... you made it"

They all turned to face Jean and the other trainees who were staring at them and noticed that they weren't the only ones who made it; the Elric brothers were here too.

"Alphonse, Edward!" Mina called out "You guys made it!" She was surprised and greatly relieved to the two who saved her were still alive and managed to get to HQ

"Damn! You guys made it too!" Said Connie, pleasantly surprised by their survival "guess that explains the pillars on those buildings."

"Mina, it's great to see you again!" Responded Alphonse "I'm glad you made it" he smiled, relieved to see that the only person he was able to save was still alive.

"We can talk about his great to see each other another time" interjected Edward" but what about that titan over there" he pointed towards the abnormal titan

"Oh, that titan got some kind of bone to pick with its own kind" proclaimed Connie pointing at the Abnormal "and the best part? It couldn't care less about us! He's our ticket out of here!"

Jean was astounded by what he was hearing "listen to yourselves, we can't rely on a titan, it will never work!"

"It is working." Retorted Mikasa in her usually authoritative tone "whatever it is, if we allow it to continue its little rampage, if it can keep the titans occupied, this will give us a chance to escape. This is our best plan for survival."


	6. Chapter 6: More Questions than Answers

**Chapter 6: More Questions than Answers**

Huddled together in one of the lower levels of the building the trainees began to bombard the Elric brothers with a barrage of questions, the mass of people surrounding the brothers who were backed into a literal corner.

"Are you here to help us against the titans?"

"How do you make things out of nothing?"

"Have you come from outside the walls?"

"Are there more people from outside the walls?"

"Are you human?"

"Are you angels?"

"Are you from the heavens?"

"Have you come to save us from the Titans?"

They stood facing a crowd of people as they were quickly being backed into a corner, small beads of sweat on their foreheads as a feeling of anxiety run through them

"Woah! Woah!" yelled Edward "Firstly yes we're here to help you fight the titans, now one at a time; Al and I would be happy to answer them." Edward announced; he hoped that by doing this he could ease any anxiety the trainees had about them and get them off their backs though he had no intention of telling a large room full of people he didn't know everything about them.

"Also no, we're not angels from heaven, we're human, just like you." Alphonse added.

The floor was almost silent save for a few mummers and whispers, a hand was raised, they turned to get a better look at the person, and it was Mina.

"Are you from beyond the walls?" She wanted to know, she never got her answer back at the rooftops; she was ready to join the Scout Regiment after Eren speech to keep fighting against the titans and save humanity from extinction but she needed to know, was there more people outside the walls? Was humanity not on the verge of extinction as she thought and was there an entire civilization full of people just outside these walls living normal lives?

Edward looked at the crowd of people, the anxious faces waiting in anticipation for their answer. That's when he felt it; that same weird feeling of someone or maybe a group of people waiting and watching his every move, more so than the others, like wolves hiding among the flock and stalking its prey.

"Yes and no." Alphonse responded "We're not from here, this world, we're from a different world and we've never been outside the walls." Some of the trainees slumped their bodies in disappointment over Alphonse's answer and others began to whisper to each other. "Why? What's wrong?" asked Alphonse.

Armin then spoke up "If you guys aren't from beyond the walls, then we truly are what's left of humanity on this world."

At first both Edward and Alphonse were confused by what Armin meant but it didn't take longer than a second or two for that statement to sink into their minds. Both of them fell quickly into shock as their mouths dropped as they were left speechless for a second. "You're saying that everyone, every human, is inside those large walls? Edward asked. And then a horrifying realization dawned on him "How many people is that?

Armin nodded his head solemnly at the first answer "less than one million people left; a fifth of the population was killed in an effort to retake Wall Maria which the Titans breached four years ago and now the rest of the human population lives inside either Wall Rose or Wall Sina." That was a lie of course, Armin was fully aware that the reason those people were sent out into Wall Maria's interior was because the Central government couldn't feed them, they sent them out to die.

Both Edward and Alphonse stared at Armin, horrified by what he was saying; humanity in this world was on the verge of extinction. Their eyes widen and their already lowered jaws now locked in place as they began to process this terrible information; there were cities, hell maybe some rural areas back at Amestris with more people than there were on this planet and the fact that an army of, what they estimated to be close to, two hundred and fifty thousand men and women couldn't stop the Titans in their tracks spoke to just how unstoppable a force the Titan's were.

 _On another world there's are a group of people who are a fighting a war for their survival, I've watched as they've courageously struggle against a powerful force they do not yet fully understand but who seek to annihilate them._

Those were the Truth's words; they had thought it was just a group of people, not the entirety of humanity. They felt as though they were tricked by the Truth into being a part of a fight far bigger than what they had anticipated. This group of people was humanity itself fighting for its survival and now their mission went from extremely difficult to near impossible, how could they hope to take on a mass horde of giants?

Edward pushed that grim idea at the back of his mind, he was determined to find a way; he had to if he and Al were going to bring everyone back and return home. He looked back at the crowd of people again "Anything else?"

"Are you here to stay, forever?" asked a trainee in the back.

Ed and Al shuddered at the thought _being here forever? We can't, we have to go back home, back to Resembool and bring all our loved ones we've lost back home._ "No" said Edward "We're here to help you defeat the Titans and once that's done then we head back to our world."

The crowd began to mutter to each other again "Is there anything else?" asked Alphonse.

Multiple hands were raised, Edward pointed to a random individual, it was a girl, she had light blond hair tied back, blue eyes and a large nose on a emotionless face.

"Your powers, what are they and how did you get them?" asked the Trainee who was sitting next to Mina; her voice was almost monotone, but a little bit frustrated.

Ed hesitated in answering for a second, given the time period these people were living in it was likely that any explanation of alchemy would fly over their head, he thought of a way to simplify it. But there was something about her he couldn't escape; while the other trainees were pretty amazed and curious about him and Al, she had an almost apathetic look on her face and there was something about the way she stared at them, like a predator sizing their prey. Her eyes were intensely focused on them, this may have just been his suspicion but he decided to play it safe.

"It's called alchemy; to put it simply we can mold objects into different shapes or different objects, its science, something we've learnt in our world." He answered only parts of her question, careful not to tell her just how they were able to do it.

"How powerf-" her follow up question was interpreted by the sound large doors opening.

"Hey guys!" Jean yelled, snatching the attention of everyone in the space, he and some others following him were carrying long wooden crates "we found some weapons that belonged to the military police, it's covered in dust though."

They opened the crates and found guns inside; Edward took one of the rifles from the crate and, along with Alphonse, began to inspect it.

It was an old fashion musket with one shot, wooden stock and required a manual insertion of gunpowder to fire. _Weird again_ Ed thought _how can they still use simple muskets but yet still able to create something as complex as the ODM gear, something didn't feel right; it was clear they were able to develop an advanced weapon for fighting against the Titans but why haven't they developed weapons more effective than ODM gear?._

As the musket were being handed out to the trainees, Armin began to explain his plan to retake the supplied room from the seven 3-4 meter class titans, using a map of the HQ's layout.

"We can use the guns to blindside them all at once." he proposed "First we lower the lift with several people, if the titans are normal ones then they'll be drawn to a high concentration of people." Armin paused to allow the information to sink in.

"The next part will be the decisive moment." He turned his head to face the Edward and Alphonse who were listening intently to Armin's plan "This is where you two come in, you'll enter in from the stairway entrance here, if you can try an sneak into the room, it will make your part easier" Armin pointed on the building map at a staircase to the supplies room "wait for the gun fire and use your abilities to quickly take out the seven titans while they're blinded." Ed and Al both nodded their heads in agreement.

"However we can't let you guys go on your own, we should have seven people placed to launch an ambush from above to back you up and finish off any stragglers, to increase the success rate of our back up plan and our overall survival these seven should be our most skilled."

Armin paused to allow the plan he proposed to be digested by everyone in the room "I'm sorry for placing both you in danger and the burden of our survival." Said Armin solemnly, for the plan to be a success the brothers would have to completely take out the seven titans in the supply room or further incapacitate them for the ambush to be launched at any remaining titan they could have missed, should they fail then they'd have to rely on the seven most skilled to take out the titans and it's likely that by then their chances of success would have dropped dramatically, on top of this if the plans fail then Armin may be responsible not just for the death of the cadets, but the two brothers who could potentially be the best hope for humanity.

Alphonse placed his hand on Armin shoulder to reassure him "Don't be sorry, it's a great plan and like my brother said, we're here to help in any way we can."

"I agree" added Marco "we at least have a back-up plan, so we're not putting everything into one offensive; it's probably the safest plan we have."

"I'm willing to be talked out of it if anyone has a better plan" said Armin, in a slightly desperate tone.

Mikasa placed her hand on Armin's and gave it him a reassuring squeeze "Have confidence in yourself Armin, your plan will work, if anyone can find solutions to problems it's you."

The trainees began to flood into the lift and take up firing positions forming two firing rows, Mina was positioned at the front row of the north face of the lift with Armin and Marco stood standing behind her, she watched as the seven other cadets prepared to go down the stairs "Hey Annie!" yelled Mina catching her attention "good luck!" waving at her with her free hand.

Annie turned to face Mina, the left corner of her mouth slightly ticked up, resembling something close to a smirk, Mina was use to this; Annie wasn't the most expressive person but she was her friend, of that Mina was sure of and now seeing her going through that door Mina couldn't help but worry, Annie was skilled and Mina was proud of Annie when she made it in the top ten but now she feared her achievement might just of sent Annie to an early grave.

Edward, Alphonse and the seven most skilled of the cadets followed them down the stairs to the supply room, as Edward walked down the stairs he examined the seven cadets, he only knew Mikasa, Connie and Jean and if he could remember the girl with the brown eyes and brown hair tied back was Sasha from the rooftop encounter not so long ago who warned them about the Titan coming from behind them, he decided to ask for the names of the other three.

"Hey, you guys, what's your name?" He asked, Alphonse also turned his head to look at them.

"Reiner" answered the tall guy with bulky physic and blond hair in a confident tone of voice, "l gotta say, its brave of you guys to agree to this, you guys must have nerves of steel."

"Thank you" replied Alphonse.

"Nerves aren't the only thing about us that was made of steel" Ed joked, which earned him a slight elbow to the ribs by Alphonse "OW!" from the look on Reiner's face he was no doubt confused by Edward's joke.

"My names Bertholdt" said the freakishly tall medium build guy with brown hair and an uneasy smile. Alphonse mentally took note of the Bertholdt's nervous disposition while Edward was distracted by the guy's towering stature, just looking at him reminded him of the days when he was... less than average height for his age... and how everyone literally looked down on him.

"Hey quick question, how old are you?" asked Ed.

"Uh, sixteen." answered Bertholdt "A year younger than Reiner"

 _God damn it._

They then turned their attention to the short pony tail blond hair, she still had that same apathetic look on her face and her blue eyes were focused on the steps going down, not bothering to look at the brothers ahead of them.

"Annie" she said dismissively after a few seconds of silence.

"Hey, you two" said Connie "could you make sure to kill those titans, ya know so that we won't have to go down there" joked Connie "not exactly looking to fight a titan without the only advantage ordinary people have against them." He smiled nervously.

"Yeah, please." Added Sasha.

Alphonse smiled "we'll try our best" he replied.

"Don't even worry, we've got it covered, you guys just focus on getting out of here" said Edward.

"Don't worry Connie; just in case you miss you can always stick this up their asses too! That's the second weakness they've got" said Reiner, the brothers gave Reiner a confused looks; trying to figure out whether he was joking or being serious about it.

"No way, I never knew that was an option!" Exclaimed Connie.

"Never heard of that either..." Added Sasha.

"Reiner... You realize that your last words could be an ass joke." said Jean unamused by the joke.

The lift was slowly lowered them into the supply room, about 4-6 meters elevated from the ground, the trainees had taken up their firing positions and were steeling themselves to come face to face with the Titans in the supply room, every last one of them was no doubt terrified out of their minds, the muskets would only provide temporary damage to the Titans but it wouldn't kill them and if the Elric brothers or the seven cadets failed on their end of the plan then they would be sitting ducks. The Titans began to close in on the elevator full of cadets, Mina tried to steady her hand as the Titans approached, that's when she saw it, one of the Titans lumber its way out of the shadows in front of them, in front of her. She began to shake, it was like staring at death itself, those large eyes and large grins on its face, the last time she came this close to a Titan it almost ate her.

"Everyone calm down" ordered Marco "let them come a little bit closer."

"Wait."

The Titans began to close in on the lift full of cadets, like wolves closing in on its weak and cornered flock, their unblinking eyes and wide grins was enough to completely shatter the nerves of most, if not all, of the trainees in that elevator.

"Wait."

The seven trainees took up positions on the steel beams on top of the room, angling themselves to strike should Ed and Alphonse not manage to kill all the Titans, hopefully it wouldn't have to come to that but with their grip of the handles of their blades tighten and their foot stances positioned in a way similar to a predator ready to pounce, they had to be ready for the moment it could happen.

"Wait."

While the Titans began to swarm the elevator, Edward and Alphonse were able to sneak into the supply room; they split up in order to quickly take out as many Titans as possible, Edward took up positions facing the backs of the Titans that surrounded the South and East of the elevator faces while Alphonse took up a position to faced the backs of the Titans surrounding the North and West of the elevator face, they both hid behind some of the boxes scattered around the room. Ed peered from behind his cover to count the Titans, there appeared to be six in the room surrounding the armed trainees.

 _That's weird_ he thought _Armin said that there were seven in the supply room... maybe there's just six instead._

"Ready..."

Mina's heart was beating out of her chest, Armin did his best to hold his gun steady and hold his nerves together and Marco was trying in best not to faint on the spot. The room was filled with only the sound of the Titans' labored breathing, the shaking of the muskets, despite the best efforts to hold their gun steady, and the whimpers from the petrified trainees as they stared straight into the eyes of those who would devour them on the spot. The seven cadets who stood on the metal beams and the Elric brothers held their breath, not wanting to a single peep before the signal was given; they slowly and carefully pressed their hands together.

"Fire!"

The dimly lit room was quickly set a light with the bright flashes from the rows of muskets, the sound of loud bangs going off in quick succession filled the silence that had previously occupied the air, the Titans stumbled back from the elevator and let out groans of pain from the point blank shots by the cadets.

This was the signal; quickly Ed and Al leapt from their hiding spots and charged at the first two Titans who they hidden behind, they slammed their hand on the ground, transmuting two sharp spikes from the ground which pierced through their necks, the cadets at the front had stumbled back as the saw the sharp point exit through the Titans' throat towards them.

With the first four Titans quickly dispatched, this left the other two still left reeling from the multiple shots to their eyes but were rapidly healing from the damage, with time not on their side the brothers sprinted to quickly kill the other Titans moving behind them, Alphonse clapped his hands and slammed them a nearby stone pillar transmuting a thick pole with a sharp point which pierced through both the necks of the other two Titans, Edward clapped his hands and transmuted two large spikes from behind the two remaining Titans, impaling them through their mouths, everyone watched as the bodies of the Titans began to disintegrate leaving nothing but their skeletons. With the adrenaline wearing off both Ed and Alphonse fell to their knees as they tried to catch their breath, it looked as though they had succeeded in clearing out the supply room...

"Alphonse, behind you!" Screamed Armin from the elevator, he pushed himself to the front firing row and gripped the side of the elevator as he watched the seventh Titan walk up from behind Alphonse

Alphonse shifted his body to face what was behind him; he was maybe just a meter from the Titan which stepped out of the darkness, the peering Titan. The Titan which Al had struck with a spear back in their first encounter, only this time it had the jump on Al. Alphonse stared at those large unblinking eyes, his legs felt as if they had melted into the floor, his body felt too stiff to move; his body was paralyzed by the shock of almost coming face to face with the monster in front of him.

"Al!" Screamed Ed, he quickly got to his feet and sprinted towards his brother.

"Sasha!" Yelled Reiner "You're up!"

Sasha gave a small yelp before she leapt from the metal beam towards the Titan's neck, she angled her blades as she descended down on the last remaining Titan, she slashed at the Titan's neck and the top half of its back before landing roughly onto the floor. However the cut wasn't deep enough to kill the Titan, instead the Titan turned its attention away from Alphonse towards Sasha, it looked down at the girl and began to slowly lumber towards her.

"Ahem... Uh... Sorry I- I jumped you..." Apologized Sasha weakly.

The Titan stared down at Sasha, it looked ready to pounce on her when suddenly it gasped and arched it's back as if something had struck at it from behind, it fell forward down on its face, to reveal Edward who had leapt from behind the monster and buried a halberd he transmuted deep into the nape of the Titan, his feet planted into the back of the Titan as he rode it down. He lifted his head up to face a terrified Sasha who was maybe inches away from the Titan body; he stepped off the body to check on her.

"Hey are you Alr-" he was about to ask before Sasha knelt and bowed her head in front of him, her hands gripping his legs.

"Thank you!" cried Sasha "You are truly saviors! Angels from on high! Glory onto you!" Ed looked at Sasha with a look of confused shock, he moved his legs to try and shake her off.

"Sasha" called Mikasa, who had climbed down "Get up and stop grovelling" Sasha stood up, wiped her eyes and walked off to refill empty gas canisters.

"You guys did it!" Celebrated Connie, a loud cheer erupted from the elevator.

Mina raised her fist in the air in celebration, she turned to Armin and hugged him tightly "your plan worked Armin!" With the adrenaline wearing off Marco then fainted, collapsing on the floor of the elevator.

"Marco!" yelled Armin as he and Mina scrambled to pick him up from the floor.

Edward ran to Alphonse and extended his hand out to him, Alphonse looked up at his brother and grips his hand; pulling himself up from the floor "Thank you, brother" said Al pulling Ed in to a hug.

Ed gripped him tightly "I'm not leaving here without you Alphonse, we going back home after all this, together" said Ed.

"They're all down for the count!" announced Jean "now get resupplied before more can get in!"

Sasha sat refilling her canisters with tears in her eyes "A Titan, I caved in front of a Titan" she said choking in tears, and then gripped her head "I can never face anyone again!" Connie was about to respond to Sasha to quit her crying and get a move on but Alphonse who had walked up to them had managed to say the first word.

"Hey, I just want to say thank you" he knelt down to look her in the eyes "if it wasn't for you I would likely have been eaten by that Titan if you hadn't tried to kill it. You were very brave for doing that." he finished with a soft simile on his face which matched perfectly with his soft voice.

An imperfect smile formed on her lips as more tears began to roll down her face, her hands gripped her knees and she lowered her head. "Thank you, that means a lot." She had felt like a coward for apologizing to a Titan, humanity's greatest enemy but to hear that having the guts to try and kill the Titan was bravery within itself gave her a feeling of renewed confidence in herself.

"Hey" said Marco, grabbing Jean's attention "I didn't get to say this back when we were heading to HQ, but thanks, I don't know if you know this but it was your leadership which emboldened us to move forward, you saved our lives."

Jean looked down on the floor "I appreciate the complement Marco, but please don't, it was my fault that some of our comrades are dead because I gave the order to attack, not to just fall back." He said solemnly " if you want to thank the person that saved us, than thank Ed, I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't have made it with the amount of gas they had left." he looked up at the direction of Ed who looked to be undoing all the spikes they created.

"But you gave orders, how many of the people here are alive because you gave us the confidence to push forward and try to recapture the HQ? Don't take this the wrong way but the reason I think of you as a leader is because you're like us, you're not like Eren or Ed who ran headlong into battle and think little about those who don't, they're great motivators but not great leaders; you're scared just like the rest of us, that makes you sympathetic to people, which makes it easier to follow you." Jean stared at Marco for a while taking in what he had said.

As soon as the cadets had refilled their gas canisters they run out into the courtyard of the castle and began to fire the cables from their ODM gear onto the rooftops to make their escape to Wall Rose, Ed and Alphonse followed them out and watched as dozens of the young cadets began to soar through the air, they stood there mesmerized by the sight.

"Hey! Yelled Connie, snapping out it and turning their attention towards him "You two! No time to stand there staring into the sky, we gotta leave while we still have time" he then pointed to his back "just like last time."

Ed nodded and held Connie from behind, Alphonse was then tapped on the shoulder by Mina.

"Like last time" she said.

Al blushed slightly "yeah, right" he replied, he wrapped his arms around her again and as before it felt just as awkward. He wondered in his head what Mai would do if she saw him doing this, the thought was both funny and scary to him.

"C'mon guys, Sasha waiting for us on the rooftop." They fired their cables and propelled themselves upwards, they expertly landed themselves on the rooftops, Edward turned his head to the side to see a group of people just standing on the far end with their backs turned to them, staring at something, he could just make out the heads of Armin, Mikasa, Reiner and Bertholdt.

 _What are they looking at? Maybe that Titan killing its own kind_ he thought, he wanted to ask others to wait here and go check it out but decided against it; their first priority at the moment was to get out of Trost and find someone with a wider grasp of the whole situation and learn more about this place, the more they knew the better they could be in helping these people and that meant they return home and have the Truth make good on its promise.

They held on tight as they were carried across the roofs, through the air and towards the tall wall in front of them; Wall Rose Ed assumed. The climb up the wall was the daunting part for Ed and Al as Connie and Mina had to push off the wall and unhook their grappling hooks which left them suspended in the air for just a second or two. When they finally reached the top they both let go of the cadets and almost fell to their knees, using each other to stand straight.

"You guys alright?" Asked Mina.

"We're fine" replied Alphonse "just not use to this, that's all." He smiled "thanks for doing that again for us, it must not be easy."

"Don't mention it" said Connie "there's a lift there, so we won't have to do that again."

"Thank God" muttered Edward, he was then nudged by Alphonse, he turned his attention from Connie to Alphonse who was staring off from the side of the wall they climbed.

"Brother" Al said "look" he then pointed, Ed turned and was instantly mystified by the view before him; the entire city of Trost as it was called was encased in a half oval shaped wall which was connected to an even longer spanning wall which just seemed to go on and on.

They saw the smoke and ruined buildings in the city, no doubt from the carnage of the Titans. Trust was a city that was burning.

"Hey you two" yelled Sasha who was standing on the elevator to the other side of the wall, snapping them out of their trance "you getting on?"

"Yeah" replied Ed, they were slowly lowered down to the ground, as they got closer to the ground they noticed that the space around the elevator was surrounded by two lines of soldiers all holding either muskets o their blades, with a small group of people standing in the corner of the rows of soldiers.

"What the hell?" whispered Connie.

"Who's the guy in the middle" asked Alphonse.

"That's Captain Weilman" replied Mina "he assigned the cadets to the middle guard during the evacuation of Trost.

"So he's the one who sent you into battle, sent a bunch of kids to fight those monsters" Ed clenched his fist.

The elevator landed onto the ground with a deep boom; as they stepped out of the platform the Garrison soldiers armed with muskets hickory pointed their weapons towards the Cadets and the Elrics; almost instantly they froze in place, not daring to take another step forward, the space became early silent as both side looked at each other with a feeling of terrible unease.

"What the hell is going on" whispered Edward to Connie.

"Beats me" replied Connie "Not exactly the welcoming party I was expecting."

"Cadets!" yelled the man standing in between the two rows; he had sunken in golden eyes, a thick mustache and beard and brown hair, though the most noticeable feature was that he looked extremely tense, like someone constantly on edge "Report to me this instance" he then turned his head and pointed towards Edward and Alphonse "You two stay right there or else I'll have you killed on the spot!"

Their eyes widen and stomachs dropped at the final words announced.

"W-wait! What's going on?" yelled Sasha.

Mina turned her head to face Edward and Alphonse; Al had an expression of worry on his face while Edward had a look of shocked anger at the threat levied towards them.

"I gave you an order cadet!" yelled the Weilman "Are you disobeying a direct order from a superior officer? Are you in league with the enemy; are you all in league with the enemy?"

They flinched at the suggestion, unsure about what to do; they couldn't disobey the captain and they were surrounded by dozens of garrison soldiers all with their weapons drawn, but at the same time they wondered what would happen to Ed and Alphonse, those two had just risked their lives for them and the other cadets, many of them probably wouldn't have made it without them and they were being treated as a threat. Connie turned to the brothers.

"Hey, we'll try and talk to him; maybe we can convince him you guys are good." He said unconvincingly.

Connie, Sasha and Mina ran up to Captain Weilman, moving past the garrison soldiers on the steps, they formed up in a line before the captain and saluted him.

"Captain, the Elric broth-" said Connie before he was interrupted.

"Did I ask you to speak, Cadet?" Challenged Weilman " I'm placing a gag order on you three, you are to discuss this with no one, not what happened today or who those monsters wearing human skin are, understand?"

"Sir, they not a thr-" Mina tried to interject before the Captain shot her an angered look, she paused and wondered whether she should go on or just stay quiet "with all due respect captain, the Elric brothers saved my life; they're not our enemy their our allies." She said summoning her courage to speak and challenge his assumption.

"Speaking up for the enemy? Are you with the enemy, cadet?" He questioned, staring down at her, Mina gulped down, partly regretting her interjection "well in that case, why don't you go join them!" He grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and white shirt and threw her to the steps where she tumbled to the floor, garrison soldiers moving back from her as she fell.

"Mina!" yelled Ed and Alphonse.

"Hey-" yelled Connie but before he could act maybe a handful of garrison soldiers pointed their blades at him and Sasha, they looked around nervous and afraid to make any kind of movement, they looked down at Mina who was slowly raising her head from the stone floor, Sasha kept looking back at the guards and her fallen comrade, one part of her wanted to just leave this place but another part of her wanted to go help Mina. Connie gritted his teeth and shot Captain Weilman a dirty look "you twitchy bastard" he whispered.

The captain turned to them "You two are dismissed" they both looked back at Ed and Al worried about might happen to them, what might happen to Mina.

"Yes sir." They replied and slowly began to walk to town.

Clap!

Everyone turned their heads towards the brothers, Connie and Sasha turned to see what was going on, they knew that both Ed and Al were able to do their abilities just by clapping, Mina quickly raised her head in their direction, Captain Weilman shifted his head to face their direction and Edward turned his head to face Alphonse. Alphonse extended his left arm out to his side, in the shadow of his hand a blue circular light appeared on the ground with small sparks of lightning and then the hilt of a sword along with the blade had risen from the ground right into his hand. If look could kill then Alphonse wouldn't have needed that sword to kill any of the garrison soldiers or Captain Weilman. Edward quickly followed Alphonse lead as he clapped his hand and extended his right arm out to the side as a Halberd rose from the ground from a blue circle.

 _I hope you know what you're doing Al_ thought Edward.

The Garrison soldiers, officers and Captain Weilman were all stunned; he had read the reports, but he had never seen it with his own eyes, they did make something from nothing. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead, they were monsters they had now only confirmed his beliefs, no one can do that and what they did must make them inhuman or maybe possible some kind of unholy sorcery. Either way he had to contain or kill them, he couldn't take any chances and let them leave here to do as please, with powers like that and with the allegiances of these boys unknown they could put humanity at risk and the worse part they'll be able to hid among us.

"First row Advance!" He ordered "encircle the three of them."

Mina got up to her feet, she turned to face the garrison soldiers who were pointing their blades at them and now, in extension, her. She quickly moved backwards putting more and more distance between her and the incoming garrison soldiers, not taking her own blades out in hopes that the situation could be resolved, she stopped and stood in between Ed and Alphonse who had raised their weapons and took up readied themselves for a fight.

The garrison soldiers had almost completely surrounded the three; the tension was thick and both sides were waiting for the other to make a move. The air was quiet save for the shuffling of boots and the heavy breathing of nervous soldiers confronting the boys.

Suddenly the sound of clanking and a metal platform hitting the ground broke the tension, everyone turned their attention towards the elevator full of people; Ed, Al and Mina turned their heads and saw Jean, Annie, Reiner, Bertholdt exiting the elevator, looking around perplexed at the what was going on the brothers saw Mikasa and Armin stepping out of the elevator after everyone else while carrying what looked to be another person with them who had short brown hair and was wearing what looked to be torn up clothes and some kind of harness around his body.

Mina's eyes widen as she recognized the person being carried by Mikasa and Armin.

 _It can't be_ she thought.

"Eren?"


	7. Chapter 7: We're only Human

**Chapter 7: We're only Human**

"You're all gonna die" said Eren with a creepy smilie on his face, still in his trance and completely unaware of the situation he was in. Both Armin and Mina who were now holding him up looked at him confused and scared by what he said.

"Eren?" said Armin, weakly.

Eren slowly lifted his head; slowly being brought back to reality and out of his trance, his eyes slowly began to widen, he blinked and almost immediately came to. His jaw dropped as he saw Mikasa holding her blades out standing in between two other people holding out their own weapons while being surrounded by soldiers from the Garrison regiment, their blades pointed at the small group of people.

Mikasa and the other two turned their heads to face Eren, Eren got a good at them; both had blond hair and golden eyes and from the way they were dressed it was clear to him that they weren't soldiers but one of them had a broader face and was carrying a sword and the other had a more rounder face and was carrying some cross between a spear and a battleaxe.

"You alright?" asked Mikasa, a look of concern on her face

Edward examined Eren; his light green eyes stared at them and the soldiers with a look of confusion and terror, he didn't look like a threat but as soon as he came here the soldiers encircling them were quickly ordered to fall back by that nervous looking captain into their original position as if they need to put distance between him and them.

 _Well, he is a guy who just came back from the dead…_ thought Edward.

"Look at me Eren, can you move? Can you hear me? Speak to me" pleaded Armin, the situation growing dire by the second "Listen you have to tell them everything, they're terrified but they'll understand."

"Armin?" he then turned his head to the left "Mina? What's…?"

"Did he just say we're all gonna die?" said one of the Garrison soldiers "That son of a bitch wants to eat us!"

 _What the hell is going on?_ Eren thought _what is this? Who are those two?_ His eyes making passing glancing at the two _why are their blades pointed at us, those blades were meant for killing titans and what's with that look?_ He stared at captain Weilman who stood at the center of the garrison soldiers _Are they afraid of me?_

* * *

Connie sat at a wooden table while telling Ymir and Krista her they managed to escape Trost, he couldn't however tell them about what happened; about what happened to Mina or the standoff between Ed and Alphonse against the Garrison soldiers only just minutes ago having been forced to be silent by the captain.

"If those two hadn't of cleared out the room we might never of gotten a hold of the gas in the supply room and we might of never of gotten out of Trost, hell I don't think this many from our group would have made it to HQ without them" said Connie, he looked over to the side at one of the cadets who managed to make it out;Tom he remembered from Jean's squad, he sat on the ground with his head in his hands and black hair spilling over his fingers.

"It's good that that happened then." said Krista "That most of us could still make it back, we volunteered to run supplies but the situation was bad, we were afraid that you guys weren't going to make it."

"Where are those two, didn't you say they tagged along with you guys and where's Mina?" asked Ymir.

"I can't tell you, I want to but they slapped a gag order on me and Sasha" said Connie frustrated.

Krista and Ymir both looked at Connie stunned by what he was saying, Ymir shifted her head towards Jean who was sitting down at the wooden table next to them and taking heavy gulps of water.

"Hey Jean do you know what happen?" asked Ymir.

Jean looked at her with tired empty eyes and took another gulp of water "I can't they placed a gag order on us too, through I think it's for a different reason than why Connie's got one, they're fool if they think they can keep this quiet word will get out" he said thinking back to when Eren was pulled out of the abnormal Titan's neck "unless we don't all die first."

* * *

"Cadets Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert and Mina Carolina!" called out Captain Weilman "The four of you have jointly committed an act of high treason by conspiring with outside forces; Whether or not you all receive a swift execution depends on you!"

 _What?_ Eren thought, still trying to make sense of the situation.

"First day here and we're already facing execution" Ed muttered to himself "people usually just run us out of town."

"Any attempt to move from your places or anything I deemed the least bit suspicious will be met with cannon fire!" he announced "Do not test me!"

"Now answer carefully; Eren Yeager, Elric brothers, Are you boys human? Titan or some other kind of monstrosity that has developed outside these walls?"

 _What kind of question is that?_ Thought Eren _why are they all glaring at me and those two like we're some kind of monster?_

"Human!" shouted Alphonse "We're human just like you and everyone else! We're not here to hurt anyone! We're here to help!"

"Do you take us for fools, boy?" yelled back Captain Weilman "You raise your blade at us yet claim you're here to help? Many of the cadets called you angels, but you're just demons in disguise."

Alphonse gritted his teeth, making that sword was a bad call an impulsive action which is something Edward would have done, not him; he had only done it because he thought the only person he managed to save and had been nothing but helpful to them was in danger, or at least that's what he thought, now he worried about whether he had backed his brother and him into a corner and that they might have to leave this place only saving the lives of cadets back in Trost, he wondered whether that would be enough for the Truth to allow them to have the demand, if not then they will return home without the one thing that motivated to watch that portal home close and put themselves through this entire ordeal here.

"We're not Gods or demons!" yelled Ed "We're only human!"

By the look on his face it seemed the captain was unconvinced by their answers, he then shifted his attention towards Eren still in a state of shock and confusion about what was going on.

"And you don't think you can hide behind them! Don't think for a second you can evade the question! You'll be blown to hell before you can assume your true form!" yelled Weilman.

"True form?" asked Eren confused by the accusation "What true form?"

"Don't play stupid! Many people saw you!" Weilman retorted "They saw you emerge from the carcass of a fallen titan in full view of your comrades."

Edward, Alphonse and Mina both turned to Eren in shock at the accusation, he was a Titan; the abnormal Titan who was killing the others _this whole thing is getting more and more complicated by the second_ thought Ed _first the unknown force is some kind of man eating giants, the group of people was humanity as a whole and now people can turn into titans?_ _What next?_

"And you, Elric brothers, you have already displayed to us your ability to perform some sort of unholy power which no human could do!" he yelled "you created the very weapons you point at us with from nothing!"

 _Unholy ability? Creating weapons from nothing?_ Thought Eren _who are these guy?_

"Creatures and people of unknown origins, ability or allegiance have infiltrated Wall Rose! And those creatures are you!" he announced "Under the circumstances you are being sanctioned by his majesty as being neither here nor there! You three are a risk and I am well within my rights to eliminate! And every second I spend here, every second my soldiers spend here in this standoff puts us all in jeopardy from the Armoured Titan! Hell you can be in league with them!" his paranoia and fear was engulfing his sense of reason. "I will not hesitate to kill the six of you here!"

"Nor should you" said a female soldier standing next to him, she had short grey hair and wore thin rim glasses "If they're this committed to defiance then so be it" she said plainly "I doubt they'd have any kind of useful information for us and it's as you said; this is all just a waste of time and resources."

Edward gripped the staff of his halberd tighter _it was bad enough trying to reason with the guy on his own and now she's egging him on to kill us._

Alphonse lowered his sword "Look, I'm sorry I reacted that way, if it makes you feel any better I'll get rid of the sword, so we can talk about this." He tried to reason; he knelt down and placed his sword carefully on the ground and he slowly pressed his hands together and placed his hands on the sword, the garrison soldiers tensed up as they saw small blue sparks appear from his hands and the sword slowly merging into the ground. Al stood up and looked at his brother, indicating him to do the same. Ed had a look of irritation on his face; if they got rid of their weapons it could give those soldiers the chance to kill them before they could transmute anything, but he placed his halberd down and transmuted it into the ground.

Eren stared at them, stunned by what he had just witnessed; those two had just melted their weapons into the ground just by touching it, they also somehow made lightning appear between their finger tips as they do it.

"Now can we talk?" said Edward in an irritated tone.

"Sir!" yelled one of the Garrison soldiers "two of them are now unarmed and the other is still in human form, if we strike we can take them now easily!"

"Son of a bitch!" yelled Edward, he gritted his teeth in frustration; trying to reason with these people was a bad move and now they were unarmed and open to a possible attack, they could probably transmute faster than those soldiers could zoom here with their ODM gear and blades but against a cannon and a firing line, they'd be shot before they could react.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" said Mikasa; her tone was just as menacing as her look "My specialty lies in slicing up human flesh and I will demonstrate this on you if you try anything." She held her places at a sideways angle, glaring at the garrison soldiers.

Everyone looked at Mikasa stunned and scared even Ed and Al who were standing beside her shuffled away back a few steps.

 _and I thought Winry was scary when she was angry_ thought Ed.

Despite the wide distance between her and himself even captain Weilman flinched at the threat, another soldier standing by his side leaned in next to him "There something you should now, sir" he said "she was assigned to the rear guard along with the elites fresh out of graduation, she's probably worth a hundred men, losing her could be devastating to humanity's efforts."

"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?" said Eren "And who are you guys?"

"Mikasa we can't go making threats, it's only going to make the situation worse" said Mina.

"You can't take them all on and if you could killing people won't do us any good" pleaded Armin.

"I don't care who I fight; Titans, humans, the entire Garrison Corps, they'll have to get through me before they can get to Eren."

"Please we can still talk this out with them, they're just scared, we just have to stay calm and explain ourselves" said Armin, desperation in his voice.

"Please we don't have to fight or kill anyone, we've already lost too much as it is." Added Mina "Armin right they're scared but they can to be reasoned with."

"I think the time for talking is over" retorted Edward as he stared down the Garrison soldiers and took up a defensive stance "Us being alive was probably decided before we could even argue for ourselves, if we can't talk to them when we lowered our weapons than they won't talk to us at all."

Eren looked down on the ground _Am I the only one who thinks I'm not a Titian? I can't make sense of all this and I don't know how I ended up here and who are these guys._ He tried to move his legs but he was able to _my body feels numb, I can't move my legs and if I say something they don't like then we'll all be killed for it... killed by people. What did he say about me coming out of a titan carcass but that was just a dream, wasn't it?_ He looked at his sleeveless left arm _my arm, my arm had grown back… like a titan._

He raised his head upwards "Please sir!" he yelled catching everyone's attention "I'm not a Titan! I'm human!" all eyes on him now and the air was deathly silent for a full minute _could this be it? Did I convince them?_

The captain gave them an a regretful look and lowered his head to the ground, trying to avoid their gaze.

"So you say…" he responded solemnly "but I have no choice" he then began to raise his hand upwards to signal the cannon to fire. "Please don't hate us for this. But when placed in a position like this, we all have to do things that make us less than human."

Alphonse, Armin, Mina and Eren both looked at the captain in horror about what he was going to do and Ed and Mikasa both glared at the man.

"If that's how it has to be then…" Ed said under his breath "Fine. by. me." he slammed the palms of his hands together, blue sparks appearing around his clasped hands.

"Armin! Mina! Grab those two and climb the wall! She ordered "I'll get Eren!" Mikasa sprinted towards Eren and grabbed him, lifting him up on her shoulders. The two of them ran up to Ed and Al

"Guys we have to go!" yelled Mina with tears in her eyes; she was afraid that this was end for them, the end for her a soldier killed by other soldiers.

Armin grabbed Edward's shirt and looked up the wall ready to move, his heart sank at what he saw "oh no…" both Mina, Mikasa and Alphonse looked up to the wall, their stomach dropped as they saw a line of soldiers standing at the edge of the wall looking down on them. "They're on the wall." Alphonse looked at his brother who was about to slam his hand on the ground.

For Eren it was as if the entire world had slowed down, he watched Armin yelling at them with a look of panic on his face, pleading for their lives, the tears slowly rolling down Mina's cheek and the one of the blond haired boys about to slam the palm of his hand on the ground. He felt something slip from his shirt and dangle around his neck. It was the key. Suddenly he could hear his father's voice calling to him and he was having a memory that he never once had before.

 _Protect this key_

 _You must go back home, go to the basement; there you'll find the answers_

 _This injection will cause some memory loss, that's why I can't explain everything_

 _The road will be difficult son but you must reclaim wall Maria, reach the basement, and with this power you can do it_

The captain began lowered his hand signalling the cannon to fire.

 _Everything hinges on you being able to master this power_

He wriggled free from Mikasa and grabbed her by her arm dragging her, charging towards Armin, Mina and the two others, crashing into the group and knocking the boys down. The captain's arm had now dropped and was pointed in their direction, the sound of a cannon firing close by screamed though the air.

 ** _Everyone's life depends on you being able to control this power!_**

He looked up at the direction of the incoming cannon ball; he raised his hand to his mouth and bit down hard.

Boom!

The explosion knocked the Garrison soldiers off their feet, the sound of the impact ringing far and wide across the entrance to wall Rose, Garrison soldiers and cadets quickly jumped to their feet and watched the thick pillar of smoke rise from a nearby area. Confusion spread, many wondering whether the wall had been breached or perhaps a misfire by cannon. However only a small group of cadets knew why that cannon was fired and the realisation made their stomachs drop.

Captain Weilman and the other officer covered their faces with their arms during the explosion, they lowered their arms "Did we get them?" he asked, trying to look through the thick fog of smoke.

Ed and Alphonse could hardly believe what they were seeing; their bodies were shaking, their mouths were agape, their eyes wide in both awe and horror at where they were. Mina wanted to scream at what she was seeing but her trembling hands covered her mouth, Armin sat there almost traumatised, his face making the same expression as Ed, Al and Mikasa who were completely dumbfounded and shocked at what they were seeing.

They were inside a ribcage.

The soldiers of the garrison stood there shaking, taking several steps backwards from the skinless titan before them. One of its arms out stretched facing the direction of the cannon, its red flesh was peeling from its bones, its skull was missing one eye and inside they could see five people sheltering inside the Titan's carcass.


	8. Chapter 8: Strength through Others

**Chapter 8: Strength through Others**

The five of them still sat there; Armin and Mina were still stunned by what had just happened, Edward and Alphonse began to examine the large carcass trying to come up with some kind of idea as to why a Titan's body had suddenly just been transmuted from thin air and Mikasa had quickly composed herself sitting up and surveying the smoke for signs of movement from the Garrison Corps, her hand resting on her blade.

"All squads stay alert!" said a voice from the smoke to the chorus of rumbling footsteps "Get that cannon reloaded!"

"I heard the cannon fire" said Armin weakly though it was enough to snap everyone out of their daze "then there was a large explosion and a blast of heat… now we're in the innards of…"

"Eren did this for us." Said Mikasa sternly "that's all we need to understand for now."

"Are you serious?" questioned Edward "he was able to transmute a large body from nothing and you're not going to question how?

Mikasa shot Edward an annoyed look and was about to respond to him when suddenly the bones of the titan began to creak above them, they all looked upwards.

"It… it's still alive" said Mina.

Suddenly the creaking stopped and the sound of someone running from behind caught their attention, they tensed up expecting it to be Garrison soldiers, instead it was Eren "Mikasa, Armin, Mina" he called "are you alright?"

"Hey" yelled Edward "How the hell did you..."

"I don't know" Eren responded urgently, suddenly the flesh and bones that encased them was dissolving into ashes "Look it's starting to vaporise just like a Titan." He turned to the direction of the garrison soldiers; the thick dark grey smoke blocking his view of them "They're probably still watching and waiting, but once the smoke clears they'll resume the attack."

The rest of them scuttled out of the Titan corpse from it's exposed chest and they turned back and observed its carcass "After this, I don't think there's any chance of reasoning with them."

"I don't think we ever had a chance of reasoning with them." retorted Edward.

"You're probably right…" replied Eren grimly he then held up the key around his neck in full view of the group "I'm starting to remember, this key, our house, the basement; my dad said to head back home and there I'll find answers in our basement. It might have the answers, maybe information on the Titans and how to stop them."

He slammed his fist on one of the ribs of the Titan's corpse in frustration.

Everyone looked at him dumbfounded by what he was saying, that the mystery of the Titans was inside Eren's basement, Ed and Alphonse thought back to what the Truth told them how it was an enemy which they don't yet understand but apparently it seemed like someone knew quite well what was going on.

"You're kidding me" said Mina "You could have the answers to stopping the Titans inside your basement?" she was dumbfounded, her squad mates died fighting those Titans today, some many other cadets died fighting the Titans today and their deaths could have been avoided if they just knew more about the Titans and how to stop them… those answer were apparently inside someone's basement.

"It sounds crazy, I know" responded Eren equally furious "I can't believe my dad would keep this kind of information from everyone, thousands of scouts have died to obtain answers about the Titans and it was right under my nose." He tightens his fist in anger. "Damn him, that bastard."

Edward flinched at Eren's anger at his father; it reminded him of his own hatred towards his dad and the regret he had for feeling that way about him, Alphonse had noticed Edward discomfort and thought to interject.

"Maybe he had a good reason?" suggested Alphonse, the glares that were shot at him from the two of them made him instantly regret his decision to speak "Speaking from personal experience, sometimes people hide this kind of information because it serves a bigger purpose."

"What purpose can be bigger than keeping humanity from the brink of extinction?" questioned Eren.

Alphonse didn't really know how to respond to that; he thought back to why his dad left him and his brother when they were young and he never said why, Edward had come to resent him for that, but in the end it was to save the lives of fifty million people and Alphonse couldn't think of a reason why someone would hide something like that when the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

"Hey" said Mikasa "Let's focus on the situation at hand" reminding them that they were still surrounded by Garrison soldiers and with a cannon pointed in their direction, they quickly ran behind the dissolving Titan carcass for cover and knelt in a circle facing each other.

"Listen I'm getting out of here." Said Eren, Mikasa, Armin and Mina gasped.

"Where, How?" asked Armin.

"For now anywhere but here" he replied "then from there I'll head for the basement" he lifted his clenched fist to his face "but I'll have to turn into a Titan again."

"You can transform at will?" asked Armin.

"I don't know how I'm doing it to be honest, but it just feels like a reflex, I just know that I can do it."

Ed and Alphonse took in this information; so far he was able to transmute a living Titian from nothing and he didn't need a transmutation array and can bypass the laws of equivalent exchange. There were only two explanations to this; Eren had a philosopher's stone or he was homunculus and transforming into a titan was his ability.

"How exactly did you get this power?" questioned Ed.

"If I can remember, my dad injected something into me" Eren replied.

An injection, that's how King Bradley and Ling became homunculi, they had a philosopher's stone in liquid form enter their bodies, but the stone didn't cause memory loss, Ling remembered everything that happened over the course of Greed's possession and from what Roy told him about Bradley he remembered the process of becoming Wrath. _Then again he might know more than he's letting on_.

"Do you remember how it felt when you were injected, did it feel as though your body was being broken and rebuild from the inside out?" asked Alphonse.

Eren, Armin, Mikasa and Mina all looked at Alphonse in confusion over his very detailed question "I honestly can't remember how it felt" replied Eren "But I have to ask, how the hell are you guys able to make weapons from the nothing, Captain Weilman said you can and I saw you melt your weapons into the ground and make lighting appear between your hands when you did it."

"It's called Alchemy" said Ed in his rushed reply "and we're not done asking you questions, do you remember anything about what your dad injected into you? Was it red coloured? Was it something between a liquid and a solid?"

"What?" said Eren with a look of confusion "I don't know, my memory blurry as it is, I can't remember what something like that would look like?"

"Is turning into a titan the only thing you can do? Or are there any other abilities you can perform; an ultimate shield or spear perhaps." Ed question, becoming more intense in his interrogation.

"I don't know damn it!" responded Eren with the same kind of intensity "what the hell are you trying to get at anyway?"

"Brother, calm down" Alphonse advised "I don't think he's one of them."

"One of them?" asked Mina "wait are you talking about those people you had to fight back in your world who had regenerative powers?"

Eren quickly looked at Mina and then shot back to Ed "wait you guys are from another world? And you have Titans too?" He asked, Ed didn't respond "Hey you can't just throw a bunch of question my way and not answer mine!"

"Fine, how about I get to the point then." said Ed he then clapped his hands and placed his left hand on the ground, transmuting a large military knife from the ground. Mikasa gripped the handle of her blades when she saw the knife form, it was clear to her that Ed intended to use it against Eren and she was going to stop him before he decided to do anything with that knife. "Are you one of the Homunculi?" he said gripping the large knife, leaning in forward towards Eren.

Despite the large knife, Eren didn't cower away from Ed; instead he also leaned forward, the two just inches away from each other "I don't know what the hell you're talking about or what a 'homunculi' is." He said in a vicious tone "but unless you get that knife away from me then we're going to have a problem."

"Could you guys just stop!" yelled Mina pushing them slightly away from each other "Please there is a much bigger issue here; we can't be fighting among ourselves when we have the Garrison regiment surrounding us."

Alphonse grabbed his brother by the shoulder "Can you please calm down! I doubt he knows anything about who the homunculi or Father are and I doubt he has a philosopher stone."

"Damn it I don't have time for this, I need to go!" shouted Eren frustrated, blood running down his nose.

"Eren, your nose is bleeding" warned Mikasa.

"Your skin is also pale and you're breathing heavy; you're not in good shape." added Armin.

"I don't care" replied Eren as he wiped his nose "Look I have two ideas; the five of you could make it out alive, if you just leave me, I'm doing this on my own, I've brought you enough trouble as it is."

Armin and Mina gasped "Eren you can't just-"

"If you're going then I'm coming with you." Mikasa declared "Whether you like it or not."

Eren looked at her in frustration, he was about to respond when Ed butted into the conversation "We're coming too." Ed declared

The four cadets looked at Ed stunned, not just a minute ago he was threatening Eren with a knife and now he wanted to escape with him. "Like hell you are, give me one good reason why I should trust you let alone let you come with me?" Eren growled.

"I'll give you three." Ed replied "One, those soldiers want Al and I dead just as much as they want you dead so we're on the same boat whether you like it or not, two, we have our own reasons but believe it or not we're here to help in defeating the Titans too, your friends can vouch for us on this and finally whatever is in your basement it may be information on how you were able to bypass the laws of equivalent exchange; you manage to transmute half of a large Titan carcass from thin air. Al and I know of only one thing that can do that. So if your dad has information on that then we're gonna make damn sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands like it did in our world." The final part was spoken with a great sense of fortitude.

Eren focused on Ed; taking in what he said, some of what he said Eren didn't understand; what does transmute mean? And what was equivalent exchange? He was still angry at Ed for threatening him with a knife, but the way he talked about keeping whatever dad had in his basement from falling into the wrong hands, the determination in his voice and the fire in his eyes it instantly became clear why he held a knife at him, Ed seemed willing to do anything stop something he perceived as a threat.

 _'I'LL DRIVE THEM OUT'_

"You guys can't go!" Mina interjected "If you step foot outside Wall Maria by yourselves then you're as good dead and how can you ever hope to help us, help humanity, if you can't work with others who want to help it too?"

"Mina…" said Alphonse apologetically, in his mind it looked very unlikely that they'd be on good enough terms with this world's military to work alongside them so going out on their own seemed like the best option open to them.

She scanned the faces of the two of them; Ed and Al "You two said that you were here to help, how does running off into Titan infested lands and possibly getting yourself killed supposes to help us retake Trost? Retake Wall Maria? And what if the basement turns out to be a bust what happens then?" she then turned to face Eren and Mikasa. "What happens when the four of you, the best hopes for all of us, are too far away to do anything when the Titans decide to knock down Wall Rose and Sina?"

The five of them got into a heated argument over whether it was worth going to Shiganshina district, Armin stayed quiet and thought to himself.

 _As the situation stands, the Garrison regiment isn't likely to be very to launch an attack in us, but it's all too likely that they have their cannon trained on us which they must be reloading and I doubt that either Eren or Ed and Al would be fast enough to form some cover for us the next time._

He lowered his head and thought back to the times when he, Eren and Mikasa were just kids, the countless times they saved him from those other kids and the more innocent times they spent together, he lowered his head even after all this time he was useless, he couldn't save them, all his life he had to rely on the help of others and now at a time when his friends and comrades needed him most he had let them down.

"Could everyone just be quiet!" shouted Eren, silencing the argument they were having. "I said I had two ideas, remember?" he turned his head to Armin "Armin I trust you to make the right call." Armin lifted his head to face Eren "This may sound unrealistic; I know this, but what if we were able to use my Titan powers and their Alchemy alongside the military strength, I'm not a strategist like you Armin but even I can see combination like that would be formidable." Armin thought on Eren's words and it wasn't hard to see that Eren was right; both Eren and the Elrics had the potential to close the hole in Trost district, Eren could use the boulder and plug the hole or the Elrics could use their Alchemy to seal off the hole entirely. "This might sound crazy, but if you tell me that you can convince the Garrison regiment that we pose no threat to them than I'll believe you, but if you say no than I will go with my first idea, whatever you decide, I'll respect your judgement."

Armin looked at Eren stunned with the responsible that he was being entrusted with "Why? Why are two putting your trust in me to make this call?"

"Because you're worth putting my trust in, you've always stayed calm and made the right judgement call no matter how messed up things got, you've always been someone Mikasa and I could rely on."

"When have I…"

"A bunch of times; five years ago you saved Mikasa's and I life by going to Mr Hannes, if you hadn't of done that then we would have been eaten by the Titan."

"Back at the castle you came up with the idea on how to clear the supply room, that was your idea, the people who escaped are alive because of you." Added Mina hoping that the further encouragement would boost his confidence.

"She's right" said Edward "You're the real reason those people are alive, not Al and I, you are." Alphonse nodded in agreement.

"Armin, if you have a plan, then I have faith in it too." Mikasa added.

Armin knelt there, as a large chuck of bone collapsed behind him stunned by what they was saying _all this time I thought I was useless, that I was just weighting everyone down, but my friends, they don't see me that way…_

"Armin" Eren said, urgency in his voice "We're almost out of time."

 _Eren and Mikasa, my friends, the only two people I have left in the world have faith in me, my comrade Mina has faith in me and these two, even though I had only met them today they've placed their faith in me too._

 _What other proof do I need?_

Armin stood up and looked down at the group with a look of pure determination on his face "I swear I'll convince them" declared Armin "the five of you just try an act as calm and non-aggressive as possible." He turned and marched off to face the Garrison.

 _Ever since the appearance of the Elrics and Eren transforming into a titan, something has been gnawing at the back of my mind, I still haven't collected my thoughts but I'll just have to think on my feet._

He undid the latches of his ODM gear which sent it crashing into the ground from his waist, the sound of metal hitting the floor caused the Garrison soldiers and the captain to flinch and gasp. He ran out of the smoke and came to a gradual halt with the soles of his boots skidding across the the ground

"You, Halt!" shouted Captain Weilman "Monster! I know you wear the disguise of a human, I won't be fooled!"

"Neither Eren nor the Elric brothers are foes of humanity; we're willing to share whatever we know about his power and their own abilities with military command!" shouted Armin, tears welling in his eyes.

"It's meaningless to argue!" retorted Weilman "We saw him transform into a Titan before our very eyes and those two had formed weapons which they proceeded to wield at us! How can you claim that they are not foes of humanity when one of them can transform into the one of the monsters who seeks to destroy humanity and the others wield weapons against those who seek to protect it? What proof can you show us?"

"You don't need any proof!" Armin shot back angrily "You know what happened; from the reports and with your own eyes!"

"What?" yelled Weilman.

"You saw the Elrics form weapons against you, yes, but you also saw them lower those weapons and even go as far as to dispose of them in an effort to talk and the reports say hundreds of soldiers saw both Eren's Titan fighting the Titans that surrounded HQ and the Elrics using their abilities to help the cadets escape from Trost, to put it in the simplest terms there are cadets and survivors from the Garrison vanguard in Wall Rose who are only alive now because of the efforts of those three! And it doesn't matter how you see the situation that is an irrefutable fact!" Challenged Armin.

The once tense Garrison soldiers began to lower their weapons and their guard.

"Kid's got a point" muttered one of them.

"I know a guy from the vanguard; I heard he made it back…"

Captain Weilman looked around, shifting his head left to right, watching his soldiers lose their edge and allowing themselves be persuaded by that monster in human skin. Desperation took him over. "Prepare to Attack!" he ordered, yelling from the top of his lungs "Don't let yourselves by swayed by their cunning lies; the Titan's behavior has always been beyond our understanding and the appearance of those other two only further complicates that matter! They speak our language and wear the skin of our fellow man to deceive us! We cannot allow them to slip past us!"

And with that the Garrison soldiers all raised their weapons again, their bodies tensing up and their killer instincts returning. Edward and Mikasa gritted his teeth in frustration while the rest of them gasped at the Captain refusal to see reason.

 _It's no use, he's let fear and paranoia overtake his reasoning; he's too scared to think this through._

He turned back to face the group, his gazed focused solely on his best friends _Eren… Mikasa…_

The two of them looked back at him, their faces showing that look of belief they had in him, Eren nodded at Armin confirming that they still believed in him. Armin tightened his fist, gritted his teeth and with a renewed sense of determination and confidence he turned to face the Captain and the Garrison soldiers once more and swung his fist hitting the left side of his chest with a loud thud.

" **I AM A SOLDIER! AND I HAVE DEDICATED MY HEART AND SOUL TO THE RESTORATION OF HUMANITY! I SEE NO GREATER HONOUR THEN TO LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR SUCH A WORTHY CAUSE!**

 **"IF WE COMBINE EREN'S TITAN POWER AND THE ELRICS ALCHEMIC ABILITIES WITH HUMANITY'S MILITARY MIGHT; THEN WE CAN RETAKE THIS CITY! WE CAN RETAKE WALL MARIA! WE CAN RETAKE THIS WORLD!"**

 **"I BELIEVE WE CAN DO IT! I KNOW WE CAN DO IT!"**

 **"** **FOR HUMANITY'S GLORY, FOR HUMANITY'S VERY SURVIVAL, IN WHAT LITTLE TIME I HAVE LEFT TO LIVE, I WILL ADVOCATE THEIR STRATEGIC VALUE!"**

Everyone looked at Armin, stunned by what he had declared; the garrison soldiers all stood there with wide eyes and open mouths in shock, Eren, Mikasa and Mina were equally stunned but filled with pride in their comrade, but for Eren and Mikasa they couldn't have felt more proud of their closest friend. Ed and Alphonse were stunned and even more so surprised; the first time they met him he seemed to be broken individual who was deeply scarred by the horrors he witnessed and now he just delivered a speech which would have made Alex Armstrong weep and might of brought a tear to even Olivier Armstrong's eye.

"Sir, maybe he has a point…" said one of the Garrison officers behind him.

"Quiet!" yelled Weilman, he began to raise his hand upwards to signal the cannon to fire, Armin and Mina could only watch in wide eyed horror at the captain's continual refusal to listen, Eren began to raise his hand to his mouth in preparation to bite down on it and transform into a Titan, Ed and Alphonse clapped their hands together ready to perform alchemy and Mikasa reached out for the handles her blades, the four of them acting with the intention of getting Armin and themselves out of there.

 _Don't be fooled by their lies, they're all traitors! I am an officer of the Garrison I cannot allow insubordination to go unchecked!_

But before he could lower his hand to signal the cannon his forearm was grabbed.

"That's enough" said a voice from behind him; it seemed very familiar to him.

"Still as brittle as you always been, Captain Weilman."

"Commander Pixis?" he replied, shocked by his sudden appearance.

"Can you not see this soldier's salute? I have rarely seen something more beautiful than that." Pixis said, commenting on posture "I have only just arrived, but I am well aware of the current situation, you take charge of our reinforcements." He paused for a few seconds allowing Armin to collapse onto his knees trying to catch his breath; he was both physically and emotionally exhausted by the whole ordeal "As for me, well I figure I should at least do these young soldiers and our new arrivals the favour of hearing them out."


	9. Chapter 9: Understanding

**Chapter 9: Understanding where we come from**

As the sun began to slowly set on Trost, the group of six sat there observing the commander as he walked along the wall taking sips from his metal canteen and looking down at a group of Titans clawing at the base of the wall, Ed and Al both examined the man; he was fairly tall, had a bald head, a thick grey mustache on his upper lip and looked to be maybe in his mid to late sixties, golden eyes which were a darker shade than Ed and Alphonse and wore a brown jacket with a insignia of two roses and a red and gold sash around him.

 _He seemed like a reasonable person_ thought Ed _He did spare us from another cannonball and was willing to hear us out._ Though Edward wondered why Armin told them that the Garrison commander of what was called 'the southern territories' was described as an eccentric, he seemed normal enough in a world with man eating humanoids, in fact he was pretty similar to General Grumman who had been the Fuhrer for a few years now; a bit odd but nothing too peculiar.

"You know being eaten by a Titan wouldn't be a horrible way to go, so long as she was a stunningly attractive one." Pixis remarked with a smile to the group behind him.

 _Ok, so he's completely insane_ thought Ed as he and Al both stared questioningly at the man.

"So" Pixis said pausing for a second "Tell me everything you know so far."

It took maybe twenty minutes to explain to the Commander about everything they knew so far; the events from Trost, Eren transforming into a Titan, the basement in Shiganshina possibly holding vital information on the Titans, the arrival of Ed and Alphonse from their own world, a little bit about themselves and a bit about the basis of Alchemy.

"So…This basement of yours, it could hold the secrets to the Titans?" he asked facing Eren who was kneeling down

Eren nodded his head "yes sir"

The commander then turned his attention to Ed and Alphonse "and you two, you're from another world which practices a science called Alchemy which allows you to breakdown substances into new shapes or different substances and importantly you boys were sent here to help."

"That's right." said Edward, he was glad that the commander didn't press them on certain details on their story.

"And you boys came to the aid of trainee squad thirty four when they were ambushed by Titans, which is how you met Cadet Carolina?"

"Yes sir, that's exactly what, happened." Mina replied saluting the Commander.

"I wasn't able to save the other two members of their squad and for that I'm deeply sorry, commander." Said Alphonse apologetically, even after finding out that half of those in the squad had survived, Mina, Armin and Eren, the failure of not being able to save the other two weighted heavily on his conscious.

"Son, during my lifetime I've been able to read a lot of books" stated Pixis, the group of six looked at him, wondering where he was going with this "Some of it was the old religious text from before the Titans, I'm paraphrasing of course but, it said this 'Whoever saves one life, has saved all of humanity' he turned his head to face Mina who was standing next to Armin, Alphonse turned his head to face her "Instead of dwelling on those who you could not save, focus on the fact that you managed to save someone at all."

"Thank you, sir I'll keep that in mind." replied Alphonse as he and Mina still maintained eye contact with each other.

"Now" he paused "Well as it stands I can't validate your stories or claims, so for now I'll keep everything you've said locked up here" he tapped on his temple "of course with that being said I can usually tell between those who are telling a lie and those telling the truth, which is why I will personally guarantee your safety and by the way, it's best if any of what was said here was kept what was said between us for the time being" He turned to face Armin "Cadet Alert?"

Armin saluted the commander "Sir!"

"During your speech to mention something about utilizing your friend's 'Titan powers' and the Elrics' Alchemic abilities to retake the city of Trost, am I not mistaken? tell me Cadet do you believe that such a plan could work or were you desperately trying to grasp at straws to save your skin?" asked the Commander

Armin paused, thinking for a few seconds "It was… both, commander; It occurred to me that both Eren and the Elrics had the potential to seal the hole in Trost, however on their own they had their problems; Eren Titan would need the strength capable of lifting the boulder and from what we know about Alchemy sealing the hole would require using the area of the wall around the hole but that could further weaken the wall leaving a different area vulnerable to a breach, so I figured that Eren's Titan could just carry perhaps a large chunk of the boulder, but not the entire boulder and the Elrics could use their Alchemy to merge it into the wall; sealing it completely." He paused again for a second "I know there are problems with this plan, I was desperate to stay alive.

"Hmmm" said the Pixis looking at Armin, he turned his attention to Ed and Alphonse "So boys, will you do it?

Ed and Alphonse looked into the burning city; the tall columns of smoke rising from the buildings and the Titans wondering around the streets and scratching at the wall. Ed had a fierce look of determination on his face; closing the hole would be a start in completing their goal and making good on their half of the deal to the Truth. "We'll do it." said Edward, still staring off into the distance.

Eren looked at Edward as he stared off into Trost, he could have sworn that there was something familiar in his eyes "And what about you Cadet Yeager? Think you can do your part?" asked the Commander

Eren knelt there in silence for a brief moment _Can you do it?_ He asked himself "I… I'll… I'll do it!" he said his tone of voice possessing a resolve which rivaled Ed's "I'll do whatever it takes!"

"Excellent, you boys possess a truly inspiring resolve" the commander remarked with a soft smile, he then walked over the ledge of the wall facing the lands within Wall Rose "Staff Officers, report here we have a strategy to discuss!"

Armin tensed up "Wha... What?" he stuttered "He's actually going with it?"

"Why shouldn't they?" asked Alphonse "you came up with a plan which was able incorporates both Eren's Titan power and our Alchemy, increasing our strengths and reducing our risks just like the plan during the supply room." He explained "It's possibly the best idea anyone has at the moment."

"But there are obvious flaws to the plan; we're unsure whether Eren can fully control his Titan power for a start and going into Trost without the ODM gear for anyone might as well be suicide." Argued Armin

"Hey, don't worry about us, we can handle ourselves and if worse comes to worse Al and I can always seal the hole ourselves." replied Ed, trying to alleviate Armin's concern

"Still, Armin has a point" said Eren "But it seems that the commander is aware of the situation; Titans aren't our only enemies."

Suddenly the commander appeared, this time with a small group of officers at his side "Let's get to work; we're running out of time, Cadet Yeager and Elrics come with me; we have a battalion to address, while the rest of you work on fleshing out Cadet Alert's plan"

Eren, Edward and Alphonse tailed the commander as they walked along the long stretch of wall that separate Trost from the rest of Wall Rose territory, Alphonse kept his eyes on the vast expansive lands within Wall Rose; the green countryside leading up to large hills in the distance, it also resembled something like a less technologically developed Resembool.

"Elrics, tell me if you can confirm this; it was believed by many that before the Titan's took over the world humanity use to consist of many different races, creeds and nations all tearing at each others' throat for reasons which now must seem very petty, is this true on your world?"

Standing to the left of them Eren observed their faces when they were asked, they had a look of disappointment on their face "Yeah, it's true; we live in a country called Amestris, it's surrounded by three other nations to its north, west and south which has seen fighting over boarder territory" said Ed "its not a stretch to say the whole history of our country was conquest and wars with others." _Of course, the whole purpose of Amestris was to be just one big transmutation circle..._ he thought to himself

"And it wasn't that long ago that a civil war took place on the eastern side of Amestris; a race of people in the east, the Ishvalans who are a race of people with brown skin and red eyes, were almost wiped out during the war, things have gotten better recently and old wounds are beginning to heal but the scars remain."

Eren kept looking at them, taking in what they had said; humanity at war with itself over who owns what land and the differences that they may have, the history of their world "Tell me, Cadet Yeager, what do you think?" asked the Commander

Eren was silent for a second; trying to gather his thoughts "I think it's terrible sir, but if I'm too be honest it seems like something not out of character for humanity."

"Precisely, it was once said that in order for humanity to survive we would need an enemy far greater than ourselves to finally unite."

"I doubt he had a clue about what he was talking about, look at us were currently backed into a corner by an enemy greater than ourselves and we're hardly united."

"I don't think that's the case." Alphonse interjected "Yes we told you that there are wars occurring in our world, but we've had people come together to stop an evil greater than ourselves, my brother and I even teamed up with people who were our enemies in the past; perhaps not now but people do come together."

"A very optimistic view you have there, young Elric, a far cry from the cynical views of ours." Remarked the Commander "Though if the people here don't come together now, then we would be responsible for our demise with the Titans being the tools of it."

Hannes watched as the Titans crawled at Wall Rose trying in vain to reach for him and the other Garrison soldiers peering at them from on top the wall, he turned his head when he heard footsteps coming from his left side, he involuntarily gasped when he saw Commander Pixis with Eren and two other boys following the Commander.

 _What's Eren doing with the Commander? And who are those two next to him?_

Eren turned his head to face Hannes, he then moved his hand and pointed in a downward direction, signalling him to get back to work, Hannes gave Eren an annoyed expression and still kept on staring at them.

"Who was that?" asked Ed

"That's captain Hannes, I knew him back when my friends and I were kids living in the Shiganshina district, when the Titans broke through he saved mine and Mikasa's life." Eren said softly

"I'm sorry to hear that…the Titans destroying your home." replied Ed apologetically

"Don't be" said Eren "I'm gonna drive them out and take back what was once humanity's." his voice possessing a deep sense of conviction and anger in expressing his ambition.

Ed's eyes widen listening to Eren's words; he spoke with a mixture of conviction in his goal and the deep sense of hatred for the Titans, he knew exactly what he wanted to achieve and was going to do whatever it took to accomplish it.

 _I'VE ALREADY BEEN THROUGH HELL_

"Looks like we're here, the entrance into Wall Rose" said Commander Pixis, standing on the ledge of the Wall facing what looked to be a town center, which was crowded with a large mass of hundreds of people, on top of the wall with were multiple green flags with a woman's head facing the side and two large cannons "You two should stay a bit away from the ledge, seeing as you don't have nor, I assume, can use ODM gear; it would be terrible for you come all this way and die from falling off the wall." The Commander said with a smirk

Both Ed and Alphonse peered down from the high wall and almost immediately they took a few steps back from the ledge "yeah, you're right, we'll just stand a few steps away." said Ed, a bead of sweat falling from his forehead.

Eren took his place at the right side of the Commander and the Elrics took their place on the left "Oh, by the way boys, when I announce you it'll be good if you salute, though you may not be part of the military you are taking part in a military operation."

"Oh, right." Said Ed and he and Alphonse immediately saluted the commander, placing their right hand over their right eye. The commander raised his eyebrow at their peculiar salute and Eren looked at them in a confused manner.

"What an interesting salute" the commander remarked

"Guys" said Eren "you place your left arm behind your back and right hand in a fist directly on your heart." He said demonstrating it for them; the two of them clumsily mimicked Eren.

"Alright then, now that that's sorted" said the Commander as he turned to face the large crowd, Ed and Alphonse noticed that there looked to be a lot of commotion; yelling and screaming, a real chaotic and disorganized mess for soldiers.

Pixis cleared his throat, took a sharp inhale of breath and slightly leaned backwards **"ATTENTION!"** yelled Pixis as he stretched out the word his voice easily overwhelmed the loud commotion on the ground, what immediately followed was a still silence in the air.

"All soldiers take note our strategy to retake Trost is this; our primary objective is to seal the hole! Once more it shall be done manually!" the commander announced

"On how we will be able to accomplish this immense task, that's where these fellows come in, allow me to introduce to you Cadet Eren Yeager, Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric!"


	10. Chapter 10: The fate of Humanity

**Chapter 10: The fate of Humanity**

Eren stepped forward, his tip of his boot were off the edge of the ledge and he saluted to the mass of soldiers, both Ed and Alphonse stepped forward; their feet still firmly planted on the wall and mimicking Eren's actions.

On the ground the commotion and talking started again; the cadets could hardly believe it, Eren was still alive and both the Commander of the Garrison and the Elrics were with him.

"What the hell?" said Connie, surprised about Eren survival; Armin had told everyone that Eren and most of his squad except himself and Mina had been killed by the Titans in the line of duty, but here he was standing on top of Wall Rose by the Commander's side. He was relieved to see that both Ed and Alphonse were alright when he heard the cannon he thought they'd died in that stand off along with Mina, but here they were standing next to the commander as well.

"Don't let appearances deceive you, these fellows possess abilities which are the result of great scientific endeavors; Cadet Yeager is the product of advanced scientific Titan research, he possesses the ability to shape shift and control a Titan body at will!" As for the Elric brothers they possess an ability called Alchemy; A form of science in their home world it allows them to breakdown and rebuild any manner of substances or objects, a form of science which they themselves are experts in!"

"The plan is as follows; Using their Alchemy they will carefully separate the boulder into two pieces, Cadet Eren Yeager will transform into a Titan and carry the largest piece of the boulder to the hole and the Elrics will then merge that piece of the boulder into the wall; sealing it completely! Your role will be to ensure their protection while they carry out this task!

Just behind the Commander, Mikasa and Mina listened in on his address to the soldiers in Wall Rose while Armin and the Garrison officers continued to detail the strategy "You're saying we don't have to engage the Titans?" asked one of the officers

"Sorry of interrupting you, it's out of place for a cadet" apologized Armin

"No need, just carry on with what you were saying" replied the Garrison officer

"Right, from what we know about the Titans they usually go for large concentrations of people in a given area; knowing this we could lure them into a corner away from Eren and the Elrics and later on concentrate cannon fire at them without possible putting soldiers at risk." Explained Armin "Now I'm not suggesting we leave them defenceless, they'll need a modest band of elite soldiers to act as their protection against any more Titans entering through the hole."

"Sounds good so far, we'll need to make some adjustments but we have the outline sorted out."

"The problems are however that we're making a huge assumption on whether Eren's Titan could pick up the boulder to begin with, while Eren only needs to pick up a large chunk of it we're still going out on a limb and the Elrics don't have the knowledge or training to handle the ODM gear which means they're at risk of being vulnerable to a stray group of Titans." Armin explained "I have my doubts about this…"

"So do I." said one of the officers "sending good people to what could be their death is not something you can take lightly, but quite frankly, as the commander said, we're running out of time; more and more Titans are passing into Trost and before long they could breach Wall Rose and there's one other problem; the fading nerve and grit of our soldiers."

On the ground, the Garrison soldiers and Cadets chatted amongst themselves, debating the plan that Commander Pixis had laid out to them.

"Can they really do it?"

"The kid can turn into a Titan and lift the boulder?"

"Did he say that those other two were from another world?"

"Have we found a way to seal off the hole in Trost?"

"Why can't we just use the Elrics to seal the hole?"

"This is bullshit!" shouted Daz, one of the cadets "I'm not going back into Trost on some suicide mission for something that sounds like complete crap! You must think we're fucking idiots, blades to be used and thrown away!"

Dissent was rising among the ranks as more and more soldiers began to question the judgement of the commander for coming up with what seemed to be an impossible task, arguments erupted among the soldiers; for some soldiers the claims of Eren being able to turn into a Titan and these mysterious other two being able to do this thing called Alchemy seemed like complete fantasy and a portion of the cadets who saw what the Elrics could do, they argued that the plan did have some credibility, but it seemed as though it wasn't enough to stop some soldiers from deserting.

"This is a load of crap" said one of the Garrison soldiers as he walked off

"Wait! I've seen them do it, they saved our lives!" argued Marco to the soldiers leaving the formation "Daz, where the hell are you going? You saw them too!"

"I can't go back in there!" Daz cried "If those two were smart then they'd refuse to go back in there too, whatever the hell they can do it won't save them when the Titans eat them."

"Desertion is a criminal offence! Punishable by death!" threaten one of the officers

"Screw you, I'm spending whatever time I have left with my family!" replied Daz

Ed and Alphonse watched nervously as a steady stream of soldiers were walking away "This is really getting out of hand" whispered Alphonse to Ed

"I hope the commander has a plan" replied Ed "otherwise this whole thing just got a whole lot harder to pull off."

"Traitor!" they heard, the voice sounded like that captain who they stood off against down there and the sound of more commotion among the soldiers.

"Anyone wishing to leave shall be pardoned!" yelled Pixis

Both Ed and Alphonse snapped their heads to face Pixis, stunned by his announcement, Eren however kept his composure, looking ahead and still firmly saluting the soldiers.

"Those who have witnessed the horrors of facing the Titans should not be forced to face such horrors again and shall leave with my permission" Pixis announced "Of course, Those leaving will be allowing their parents, siblings, children or any loved ones experience that same horror in their absence!"

They watched as the soldiers who were leaving stopped dead in their tracks, turned around and walked back into the formation "Holy crap… he did it." Whispered Ed _he guilt tripped them into staying..._

"Now think back four years ago, the operation to retake Wall Maria, I bring this up because you all deserve an explanation"

 _Four years ago, didn't Armin mention something about this?_ Thought Alphonse

"Officially it was a large scale military operation to engage the Titans in an open battle and retake Wall Maria, but as many of you must already know it was nothing more than a sickeningly successful purge of a fifth of humanity's population."

"What?" yelled Ed and Alphonse in unison, they stared at the commander in shock.

The commander ignored them and continued on with his speech "A thinly disguised exercise in population control because the central government knew they couldn't support humanity's entire population within Wall Rose and we must of known this in our hearts but kept quiet about this because their deaths allowed us to live; we all bare this collective sin! But I tell you this, if Wall Rose were to be breached it would be a disaster on a whole other magnitude, the lands of Wall Sina couldn't support half of the human population, if we're to be pushed past the brink then humanity shall only have itself to blame!"

Ed and Alphonse listened to the Commander, dread filling their bodies as the full magnitude of the situation these people were in was being revealed to them, Armin had told them that the situation for them was dyer but hearing about this had placed it into perspective for them; they weren't on the brink of extinction, no, they were hanging on a cliff edge by their fingers, what was left of humanity was one disaster away from the end and the thought of the government sending a fifth of the population out to die was sickening, it was a clear gut retching disregard for human life.

"If we don't draw the line in the dirt here then humanity shall fall, so I ask you if we die, then let us die here!" proclaimed the commander, finishing his call to arms.

The Elric brothers still watched the commander, their arms had fallen to their sides stunned by his words, the full weight of what happens next now, in part, depends on them and if they can do their part successfully; for the sake of everyone left in this world and for sake of achieving their own goal. Eren, however still stood firmly; he questioned whether he could pull off his part of the plan, unlike the Elrics who seemed to be masters at what they do he was still trying to understand his abilities but that didn't matter now he had to do his part in making false hope real.

Maybe ten minutes had past since the address by the commander and now preparations for the plan that Armin and the Garrison officers had put together were quickly coming together; equipment and ammunition were being lifted up to the wall, cannons were being put into place, the group of six met up one last time before the plan was finally put into motion, Ed and Eren watched as Commander Pixis spoke to some of the officers, two of whom were the ones they saw next to the Captain during the standoff.

"Hey" said Armin looking at Eren, Ed and Alphonse "I'm sorry I got you guys into this mess, I was just trying to save our lives and now I've thrown you back into danger again."

"Stop apologizing, Armin." said Eren "The fact is you're a strategist in your own right."

"Look Armin, if Al and I didn't want to be here then we would have left," said Edward "but we're here to help and if it's making sure that gap in the wall is sealed up then that's what we'll do, hell we'd do it regardless of whether it was your plan or not at least this way it wouldn't be so much of a suicide mission."

Armin was stunned by what Ed said; that regardless of the plan they'd still put there lives on the line, he guessed that they must be extremely brave and selfless to do such a thing, but he wondered whether there was something more in it for the Elrics to risk their lives in the effort to help them against the Titans and coupled with Ed saying that they could just leave if they wanted to made him suspicious.

"Hey Ed, Alphonse, I know you said that you were here to help, but why? Not that I'm not grateful for the help you guys have offered but you would have had to drop everything from your lives back in your world to get yourselves involved in a fight which wouldn't of been any of your concern."

They were a little taken aback by Armin's question Eren, Armin, Mikasa and Mina now looked at them, waiting for an answer, they thought back to when they had to hide that Alphonse was just a soul strapped to a suit of armor because of human transmutation was illegal and a taboo. But here there was none of that, they could just be open about their intentions and explain everything…but it just wasn't the right time.

"You're right, Armin; helping you guys in stopping the Titans does help us in other way, Al and I will explain it to you guys it's just... we'll do it after we've finished sealing the hole." He replied

"We promise." Added Alphonse "We'll sit down and talk after this is all over."

Armin nodded in response.

"Eren, I'm coming with you." Said Mikasa

"No you're not." Growled Eren "You've be assigned to decoy squad, you'll do your part."

"No, that's just not an option, I won't leave you this time" she said, she then moved a few steps backwards, avoiding a head butt by Eren.

"No damn it" he said aggressively "get it through your head; I'm your little brother and I'm not your responsibility!"

Watching this, Ed was reminded of the time when he constantly berated Winry for worrying about him and Alphonse, looking back on his actions he hated how he treated her concern for him, he should have been grateful for it. Eren should be grateful for his.

"Ackerman!" said a voice from behind them, they all turned around to face him, and it was one of the officers who were talking to the commander a second ago. "You're coming with us; I want you on the elite squad defending Cadet Yeager and the Elrics." Mikasa sighed with relief "You'd proven yourself during the evacuation to be extremely skilled." He then turned to face Ed and Alphonse "Also, Elrics, I'm giving you this" he handed Ed a pistol "It's got a flare inside, purple smoke, if we're separated during the operation find a safe place to hide and fire this flare, a squad will head to your location to provide support." They both nodded and Ed placed in his empty left pocket. "Another thing you should know; yellow flare means mission success and a red flare means mission failure, if we fire a red flare, then that's our Queue to retreat. "

"Now c'mon, let's move out!" he ordered; Eren, Mikasa, Ed and Alphonse alongside the squad of Garrison soldiers assigned to protect them on the walls of Trost district to the shortest distance to the boulder, while Armin and Mina ran to the corner of the wall to be part of the decoy squad.

"Alright, let get one thing straight" said the Officer, who they found out is Ian Dietrich, "I don't care what you boys are or what you can do, my top priority is getting sealing that hole and if you can do that then I'll have you defended to the last man, now can I count on you boys?"

"Yes sir" replied Eren.

"You can count on us, we'll get that wall sealed." added Edward.

"Good" replied Ian "now it's important that we stick together, I don't want our forces to be separated and spread thin, act as a unit and that way more of us can make it out."

Eren looked off to the side at Trost district; he spotted a large stone wall along one of the main roads to the HQ _How the hell did that… did they do that?_ He thought, looking at the Elrics

"Are you sure you'll be alright, Eren?" asked Mikasa.

"Yes, damn it now could you stop asking me!"

"Hey" said Ed who was running beside them "She's only worried about you; you don't have to be an ass!"

"Mind your own business!" responded Eren.

"Now's not the time to be bickering" said one of the other officers, she was a female officer called Rico Brzenska

"It's nothing like that!" responded Eren.

"Hey, I'm just gonna let this out there" said one of the other officers, his name was Mitabi Jarnach "The fact that the fate of humanity rests on the shoulders of you little runts doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence".

"Don't call me a little runt." Ed responded, annoyed by the insult, though Alphonse did note that Ed didn't blow a fuse like he use to.

"Hey, All of you!" shouted Ian "stop it; we're almost in range of the boulder!"

They all looked ahead and before them was the giant boulder which was getting larger and larger the closer they came to it.

"There's something you boys should know, so pay close attention" said Rico, the three of them turned their heads to face Rico "A lot of good people are going to die today in trying to pull off this mission and make no mistake their blood will be on your hands."

"Sorry, but I don't take lectures about the value of life from someone who egged on an order to have a cannon fired at us" retorted Ed, Rico scowled at him and Eren was stunned by Ed's disrespect towards a high ranking military officer

"If you want an apology Edward then I'm sorry, but you better listen to me when I say this; those soldiers are putting their lives on the line for you boys, I've known many of them since they were just cadets and yes they're soldiers and each one of them is prepared to die but they're still people not just small pieces pushed around on a map of the battlefield; they're captains, corporals, Lieutenants, they have hopes, fears and dreams which they'll never experience should they die today and friends and family who'll they never see and by the end of this operation their deaths had to of meant something, it can't be in vain."

"Brigadier General Maes Hughes" Ed responded, he turned to face Rico who was perplexed by his response "we know what it's like to lose people close to us and have them sacrifice themselves for our sakes; Al and I had to give meaning to their sacrifice and we will do the same for your men too." Rico looked at the boys and gave a nod, appreciating their commitment. Eren, who was listening in, admired Ed's self-confidence; he himself wasn't too sure whether he could play his part in the operation, but he at least felt a little at ease knowing that the burden of the mission didn't fall mainly on him.

"Cadet Yeager" said Rico in a tone which was consistent with her serious expression "can I count on you too?"

"Yes, sir!" he said, he felt disappointed that he couldn't give the kind of speech and guarantee as Ed had given to Rico, but he would do everything in his power to see that the sacrifice done in his name wouldn't be in vain.

 **"** **IF WE SUCCEED TODAY, THEN THIS SHALL BE THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE WAR BETWEEN HUMANITY AND THE TITANS WHERE WE TOOK BACK LAND, TOOK BACK OUR HOMES FROM THE TITANS!"**


	11. Chapter 11: Our First Victory

**Chapter 11: Our First Victory**

"Alright people!" yelled Ian "This is it, we're here! Eren, Mikasa you two are carrying Edward and Alphonse, Eren as soon as the Elrics split the boulder into two you transform, got it?"

"Yes sir!" responded Eren, Ed grabbed onto Eren and Alphonse onto Mikasa and the squad leapt off the wall. Rico stayed behind; she raised her pistol upwards and fired a signal flare to commence the mission. The small squad soared through the air; approaching closer and closer to their objective as they were thrown through the sky at speeds which the Elrics be possible for ordinary people. They were maybe a few streets away from the large rock, it was large, dauntingly so; it was possibly the size of a Titan and no doubt heavier than one, Ed wondered how Eren was even going to manage carrying half of this let alone the whole thing.

"Eren!" shouted Ed "land on the boulder"

"Ok!" responded Eren, he fired the cables onto nearby buildings, propelling himself through the sky one last time, they landed on top of the large rock and everyone else landed onto the nearby buildings, Ed dismounted from Eren's back and lowered himself to the street below, making sure to be clear of everyone when he transformed into his Titan. Ed clapped his hands together and placed them on the boulder, sparks flying between his fingers, the boulder split cleanly into two pieces. Ed slides down the smooth edge of the split boulder to the floor; he then transmuted the half boulder into large stone ball, a last minute adjustment to the original plan.

"This should make it easier to carry!" stated Ed.

"Eren!" yelled Ian "You're up!"

Eren raised his hand to his mouth and bit down, a bolt of lightning then strikes Eren from above, there was a bright light which blinded everyone close by followed by an intense heat which invaded the space around Eren, the group watch through squinted eyes as a large fifteen meter muscular Titan with oily black hair and intense bright green eyes formed in front of them, it let out a deafening roar which shook the earth.

Mikasa observed the large square shaped rock _even when a part of it has been taken off and transformed into something more manageable, carrying it still seems like a daunting task, Eren's Titan may not have the strength, but he has the willpower._

The Titan approached the large ball rock and stopped; it turned its body and looked downwards to face Ed who was standing off to its side, the Titan raised its foot and attempted to stomp of Ed. Reacting quickly to the incoming threat, Ed leapt to the side and avoided certain death as the foot of the Titan crushed the ground beneath it,

"Brother!" yelled Alphonse

"Eren!" yelled Mikasa

The Titan raised it foot again ready to deliver another stomp, clambering to his feet Ed quickly avoided the second attack, the Garrison soldiers could only watch in stunned at the scene, landing roughly on the ground Ed looked up to face Eren's Titan, his heart and stomach sank as the large Titan stared down at him with its piercing green eyes, he realized now why Alphonse stood still when he came face to face with the Titan back in the supply room; when you're this close to one of them and see no way out it's difficult to stop the sheer terror and panic overwhelm you, every opponent he faced back home was at least person sized but being stared down but these monsters made him truly feel like a bug about to be squished.

Mikasa swung herself onto Eren's Titan and landed on his face, her foot on its large nose and her hand holding onto its hair "Damn it Eren!" she yelled "snap out of it, we have a breach to seal! Don't you recognize us?"

"Ackerman!" yelled Ian "Get away from him, he's dangerous!"

"The mission is a failure" Rico muttered to herself as she loaded a red flare into the pistol and pointed it to the sky "We never should our pinned our hopes on something so unknown." She fired the red flare into the sky, Ed and Alphonse watched as the red stream of smoke was shot upwards into the sky

 _Mission failed? Have we failed?_ Alphonse thought. Eren's Titan stared at Mikasa; it raised its fist and was about to swing when suddenly a large spike struck its chest and protruded from its back, Mikasa quickly jumped in reaction to the sudden attack on Eren and landed on the nearby rooftop, the Titan struggled for awhile, it clawed at the spike sticking out of its chest as it let out a loud cry. The Garrison soldiers and Mikasa looked down to see Ed; standing behind large spike which impaled Eren's Titan, with his hands on the ground. The Titan's clawing at the spike became less and less frantic until it's body fell limp on the spike, stuck in a standing on its feet as smoke escaped its wounds.

Alphonse climbed down from the rooftop to Ed "Brother, are you ok?" he asked a look of concern on his face.

"I'm fine, Al" he replied with a smile, he placed his hand on Alphonse's shoulder, his expression then became more stern "we're not running away from this, Al" they looked up to see Titan Eren's limp body and a faint red smoke line in the sky "We're sealing the gap"

"So the kid was just another mindless Titan?" asked Mitabi as they observed Eren's Titan's seemingly lifeless body.

"Sir!" shouted a soldier nearby "we've got two Titans heading for our position, a ten meter class and a six meter class!"

"Twelve meter approaching from the rear!" shouted another.

"Ian we have to withdraw, the mission a bust" said Mitabi

"Agreed we'll get the Elrics and fall back" added Rico, they turned their heads to face them, expecting them to be near the large spike, instead they gasped to see they had suddenly vanished.

"Where the hell did they run off to?" yelled Rico

* * *

On top of Wall Rose the Cadets and Garrison soldiers watched in great disappointment and gut-wrenching sadness at the red smoke line in the sky; Armin stood next to Marco and Mina next to Annie as they observed the red column "It's over, the mission was a failure" said Marco

"My friends" cried one of the Cadets "they were killed like animals and it was for nothing."

"How…" muttered Armin _what went wrong? Has something happened to them? Eren, Mikasa…_ he placed down the bundle of canisters and ran off, following in the direction which the garrison elite squad, his friends and the Elrics went off to

"Armin!" yelled Marco "Where are you going?"

"Armin!" yelled Mina as she watched, she hesitated in staying put or running off after one of her squad mates, she started to run; following Armin "Armin, wait up!"

* * *

Back on the rooftops, Ian, Rico and Mitabi argued over whether they should retreat

"In case you two have forgotten, I'm in command and I'm saying the mission continues!" yelled Ian " We're not about to abandon Cadet Yeager or the Elrics, we'll have to keep them off of him and hope that the Elrics use that flare gun to signal their location; like it or not they're maybe the best chance we have."

"This is insane!" retorted Rico, frustrated by Ian's stubbornness "just look at him, he's a failure and for all we know the Elrics could have abandoned us and headed back to where they came from! Face it the three of them cost the lives of hundreds of good soldiers!"

"With all due respect, squad leader, those two seemed dead set in wanting to seal the breach; no doubt they'd left complete the mission." Responded Mikasa, she didn't know whether they truly meant it but she hoped that if they could be convinced to stay that then they wouldn't abandon Eren.

"We're replaceable; there will be hundreds of soldiers ready to take our place, ready to take the place of our fallen, but those three they're not; no one can do what they can, they're the best bet we have, so if it means fighting to the last man, then fight to the last man!"

Rico and Mitabi gasped "Are you insane?" questioned Rico

"Tell me then!" yelled Ian "Tell me how the hell we retake Trost? How do we retake Wall Maria and how the hell can we beat the Titans? If anyone of you has a better plan then I'm all ears, if not then tell me; how the hell do we win without those three?"

"If you're asking me how we can defeat the Titans, then obviously I don't have an answer." Said Rico passive aggressively

"Exactly, that's why we can't afford to retreat just now, the situation looks like a complete mess up, but I have one thing, hope; hope in Eren Yeager to pull himself together and stick to his part of the plan and hope that somewhere in this warzone the Elrics are trying to find their own way in sealing that breach and making sure that the brave deaths of our comrades weren't in vain."

* * *

Ed and Alphonse hid with their backs against the wall in an alleyway as they waited for a the twelve meter tall Titan to pass; they'd been constantly running and ducking for cover every so often now but were able to get close to the breach, they quietly passed behind the Titan and into one of the destroyed buildings by taking cover in the rubble, for some reason the Titans seemed to be heading along the path they came from but not the at them specifically.

"Looks as though most of them are still at that corner" said Ed, peering over a broken bit of wall to see if the anymore had wondered past the street

"Still, we'll have to get past the ones who are still coming through the breach." Said Alphonse

They sprinted to another building close by; transmuting a door they entered the building and made their way to one of the windows, they peered through the window and saw another building, some open space between them and the moving heads of four Titans who were maybe eight to ten meters tall, this must mean that they were close to the breach by now.

"Wait for them to pass, then we make a run for the building ahead" no doubt if they ran for it now they would be spotted instantly by them; they didn't want to go up against a small group entirely on their own, it was likely they could stand their ground but it would be a time consuming slog. When the small group of Titans had passed they climbed out of the window and made a run for the building ahead. They quickly placed their backs against the wall and shuffled to the side of the building, when they reached edge Ed peered out again his eyes widen when he saw it.

"The breach" he whispered "it's right there, there's some open space between the breach and the buildings so we're going to have to make a run for it", looking at the massive hole it looked as though it'll take a bit of time to seal the breach _We'll_ _have to avoid a fight with any Titans and focus solely on closing it_. just as they began to move, a familiar roar stop them in their tracks.

"That must be Eren" said Alphonse

"C'mon Al" said Ed, ignoring Alphonse's observation "we've still got a hole to plug, they ran into the open space, they came to a instant halt when they saw a group of three more Titans enter through the hole; the monsters quickly took notice of them and began heading towards them. Both Edward and Alphonse clapped their hands ready to transmute and dispatch the small group, suddenly their attention was diverted to the right of them when the four Titans who passed them on the main road were now spilling out of the mouth of the road and trodding slowly towards them.

"Damn it!" yelled Ed, realizing that they were about to be overwhelmed he reached into his right pocket and griped the pistol, he aimed it into the sky and pulled the trigger sending a long purple column of smoke into the clouds.

* * *

When Armin and Mina arrived at the boulder Mikasa had to explain the situation to the two quickly; Eren had attacked Ed, Ed then managed to incapacitate Eren's Titan by impaling it, Ed and Al had run off somewhere, no doubt they were heading to the breach and now the Garrison squads were trying to hold off the Titans from Eren while also staying alert for the purple flare to signal the Elrics position, but the continual pressure being placed on them was becoming too much to handle and the possibility of being overrun was becoming more and more inescapable by the minute.

"I'm pulling Eren out!" yelled Armin "You two, just hold off the incoming Titans!" he climbed up the slanted spike and fired his grappling hooks into the Titan's shoulders and aimed his blade.

"Armin, don't!" yelled Mina

"No!" yelled Mikasa

Mikasa and Mina watched as Armin plunged his blade into the Titan's neck, the seemingly lifeless body now jolted back to life as it let out a loud roar and began thrashing at the spike sticking out of its chest once more, Armin tried to keep his feet planted onto the stone spike and held onto his blade, very quickly the Titan fell limp again.

"You two, Just hold off the Titans" yelled Armin "There are others who need hel-" he was interrupted by the distance sound of a pistol being fired, the three of the looked up to see a purple line of smoke stretch upwards into the sky, near the breach _that's Edward and Alphonse_

"I'm going in to help them" said Mina as she fired the cables of her onto nearby buildings, Armin nodded at her; they weren't the only ones to notice, the garrison soldiers who were currently occupied with protection of Eren spotted the flare and now had to move to protect the Elrics who were right at the breach.

"Rico!" yelled Ian "take your team and go in to support the Elrics!"

Rico nodded at Ian "Team, head for the breach!"

* * *

Alphonse rolled to the side, avoiding the large hand which swooped down to grab him; he then slammed his hands down on the ground transmuting a long spike which stuck the Titan's neck, Ed slid underneath the legs of a five meter tall Titan, narrowly avoiding it's grasp, he skidded his hands across the ground transmuting a trident spear and throwing it and striking the nape of the neck. So far they had managed to kill three of the Titans swarming them while trying to avoid being snatched by the others. Two more Titans, with heights ranging from four to seven meters entered through the breach; the fight was now shifting from a manageable skirmish to a tense battle for their lives, they had to now hold out long enough for the Garrison soldiers to aid them.

Ed and Alphonse were now standing back to back as the Titans began to encircle them, the situation was now dyer and they had to act fast else they'll end up as Titan food.

"We not dying here!" yelled Ed "Not after everything we've been through!"

They both clapped their hands together, Edward transmuting a halberd from the ground and Alphonse slamming his hand onto the ground; a cluster of spikes, pillars and jagged rocks formed around them causing the Titans to either stumble back or fall over, Ed was lifted from the ground by one of the pillars emerging from the ground, he leapt off the pillar and plunged the end of his halberd into both eyes of a seven meter all Titan, the Titan let out a loud cry as Ed lifted the spear from its eye and quickly climbed to the top of its head, the Titan bowed it's head slightly, leaving it's nape vulnerable to Ed who quickly plunged his halberd into its nape, holding onto it as the Titan collapsed onto the ground. Alphonse skid his hands across the ground transmuting a partisan spear, charging at one of the fallen Titans, he plunged it into its throat and with all the strength that he could muster forced it through; trying to reach the nape, the Titan squirmed for bit before falling still.

They had now taken out five Titans so far, with only four left. Ed and Al regrouped; putting distance between them and the remaining Titans, both Ed and Al were panting heavily as they tried to regain their composure; they took up defensive stances ready for another attack. They watched as the Titans who ranged from twelve meters tall and five meters came at them in a disorganized fashion.

Suddenly the sound of cables zipping towards them caught their attention; they saw a blurry figure fly towards the largest Titan striking its nape, a streak of blood flying off to the side as the largest Titan collapsed to its knees and on its face. The blurry figure landed on the side of the wall, the cables of their ODM gear holding them in place, their eyes widen when they saw who it was.

"Mina?" they said in unison

Mina looked down at her blades; Titan blood evaporating into the air and the noises around her sounded were muffled as she was overwhelmed by the loud thumps of her fast beating heart, for just a few seconds she had blocked out the world to fully take in what she'd done.

"I… I did it." She said softly, amazed by just saying those words "I killed a Titan!" she then came back to her sense as she saw the Titans continue to approach the Elrics, she pointed the handles of her blades at them, the adrenaline still flowing through her body and drunk on the adrenaline. But the sound of more cables zipping forward stopped her, Rico's squad had arrived at the scene leaping from the buildings they ambushed the remaining Titans and made quick work out of them; slicing their napes as blood and thick chunks of skin fell to the ground. Mina fired her cables to towards the Elrics, landing next to them but before they could utter a word to each other Ed and Alphonse were called out.

"Elrics!" said Rico in an authoritative tone "just what the hell were you thinking when you ran off like that?" they turned to face her, Ed crossing his arms, Alphonse counted the number of people who came with Rico; three in total _weren't there more of them?_ He thought while Mina greeted the squad leader with a salute.

"Sealing the hole in the wall" responded Ed "we were gonna use our Alchemy to stretch the wall and seal the breach, when Eren lost control we didn't see any other option so we made a break for the hole."

"And you didn't think to tell us?" Rico replied "you two thought that during a military operation you could just go and carry out the objective by yourself and break the chain of command?"

"We saw you fire that red flare into the sky, meaning the mission was a failure, I couldn't accept that so Al and I left to finish the job." Ed argued

"You disobeyed a direct order" replied Rico "had you two been soldiers you'd be charged with desertion, but if you can seal the hole then do it" _Don't know why we couldn't of done that in the first place_ she thought, Rico then turned to her squad members "Isabel climb the top of the wall, I want to know if and when more Titans enter though the breach, Isaac head for that building there; I want to know if more Titans already in the city are heading our way and Alice head for the top of the breach; you'll have to ambush any Titans that come though" she then turned to Mina "Cadet Carolina, follow Alphonse to the left side of the breach and cover him, I'll follow Edward.

Everyone ran towards their position, as Ed and Al crossed the bridge over the trenches both stared at the breach in awe at the size, it must have been about over fifteen meters tall, taller than some of the Titans they're seen during their time here. They wondered about the strength and size of the Titan which could make such a breach.

Rico and Mina fired their cables above the boys and hung right above them, Ed and Alphonse climbed over some of the rubble to reach the base of the wall, and they were now standing right next to the breach.

They clapped their hands together.

"On the count of three, Al!" yelled Ed "one! Two! Three!

They slammed their hands on the wall.

Nothing.

Their eyes widen "Again, Al!" yelled Ed and they clapped their hands and slammed them onto the wall expecting the wall to stretch out and cover the breach. Instead nothing happened.

"What the…" Ed muttered

"Hey, what the hell is going on?" yelled Rico "I thought you said you two can seal the breach!"

"This doesn't make sense" Ed responded "This wall should just be made of bricks and cement!"

"What the hell does that have to do with anything!" replied Rico impatiently

"In order to perform Alchemy we need an understanding of the atomic structure of an object" he explained "What the hell is this wall made out of?"

"Squad Leader!" said the Garrison soldier coming down from atop the wall "five Titans, around seven and thirteen class meter classes approaching the breach!"

 _We won't be able to hold this position_ thought Rico _we'll have to fallback_

"Sir!" said the other soldier coming from the buildings, he stood on the wooden bridge over the _trenches "_ Its Cadet Yeager's Titan, it's got the boulder, he's coming from the left road and he's heading for our position!

THUD! THUD! THUD! They turned to face the direction of heavy footsteps coming from their left.

* * *

 _Because… THIS WAS THE WORLD I WAS BORN INTO! IT'S MY WORLD NOT THEIRS!_

A mass cloud of smoke emanated from the chest as the Titan erupted back to life; it began clawing at the spike in its chest again, it held the spike sticking out of its chest and with all of its strength broke the end off; freeing itself from its impalement. Armin stared through the hole in its body and watched as it repaired itself.

The Titan turned and faced the large stone ball; it grabbed at the large rock and lifted it onto its shoulders and made its way towards the breach.

* * *

Everyone's eyes widen when they saw Eren carrying the large ball shaped rock on his shoulders as his hands held it in place, Rico gritted her teeth "Everyone hold this position!" she commanded "I don't want to see another Titan step foot in Trost!"

Ed ran into the centre of the breach, he saw the five Titans begin to enter through the massive tunnel forming a single file through the tunnel; Ed walked into the tunnel, clapped his hands and slammed them on the ground transmuting a large spike which impaled the line of Titans through their stomachs holding them in place, they began thrashing at the spike in pain

"That should hold them for now!" yelled Ed to the Garrison soldiers "Now hurry!"

Both Mitabi and Ian squad arrived to secure the area around the breach, the area was absent of Titans in their way, evidenced by the skeletons of the dead Titans who were despatched by the Elrics and Rico's squad.

"All squads form a perimeter around the breach; make sure any Titan already within Trost doesn't make it to Eren and the Elrics!" The Garrison soldiers grappled onto the buildings, watching the different roads and streets for any incoming Titans.

Under the weight of the large rock, Eren made his continual advance towards the breach. _This thing is heavy; it's putting strain on me… This would have been impossible with the boulder at full weight… I would have been walking at crawling speed._

Mikasa and Armin were with Eren every step of the way as they crossed the wooden bridge over the trenches, towards the breach, the impaled Titans gashing their teeth and trying to reach out to him; more Titans were now trying to enter and were pushing the others further into the spike in an effort to enter Trost, Ed, Alphonse, Rico and Mina watched as Eren's Titan tower over them as he reached the breach

"Everyone, stand clear!" yelled Rico, they moved further to the side of the wall

Eren lifted the large rock above his head and slammed it into the breach covering most of the hole; a powerful gust of air almost blew those those nearby off their feet; they all raising their hands to cover their faces. Eren's Titan then took a few steps back, turned around to face the city; he was watched by the Garrison soldiers, Ian, Mitabi and his friends from the rooftops of nearby houses and stone pillars scattered around. Erendug deep inside himself and let out a deep deafening roar.

 _We're all born free…_

His Titan collapsed; its body landing on the wooden bridge while its head hit the hard stone ground, Mikasa and Armin rushed towards its nape to free Eren from the Titan's carcass.

Seeing their opportunity Ed and Al rushed towards the large stone ball, clapping their hands together and slammed their palms onto the large rock; transmuting it into the exact shape of the breach, Alphonse then fused the newly formed rock into the ground while Ed transferred mass from the ground to the rock to strengthen it; sealing the hole.

"It's done!" yelled Ed as loud as he could to convey the message not just to Ian, Mitabi and Rico but to all the Garrison soldiers around them. A loud cheer rang across the area as Rico placed a yellow flare into her pistol with a smile on her face and a single tear in her eye. Ed and Alphonse watched as all around them people celebrated the hard fought victory. A feeling of pride washed over them as they achieved their first accomplishment for the people here, their first victory in this world and their first tangible step closer to achieving their goal.

Mina watched, still hanging off the wall, as everyone cheered; she held back the tears which threaten to escape her eyes only this time she was overcome with a sense of great joy instead of anguish, she zipped over the Elrics.

"Mina" said Alphonse cheerfully "thanks for-"

"Thank you" she said and hugged them both "I don't know if we could have done this without you"

"Don't mention it." said Ed while Alphonse patted her on the back.

"Thanks for taking out that big Titan before" said Alphonse "That was really brave of you."

"We've done it" whispered Ian as he and Mitabi watched the yellow flare fly upwards into the sky form the stone ground "Humanity's first victory!" he proclaimed.

"Hey." Came a voice from their side, Ian and Mitabi turned to face him, their eyes widen when they saw who it was

"Captain!" exclaimed Ian as he, Mitabi and Rico saluted him

Eren emerged from the neck of the fallen Titan in a cloud of steam, Armin tugged on his body with all the strength he could muster in an effort to free him but Eren's arms had become fused to what looked to be nerves within the neck. Ed, Alphonse and Mina ran up tothem; seeing Armin struggle Ed grabbed Eren by one arm while Armin grabbed him by the other, Eren was hot, burning, Ed almost reflexively moved away when he felt the heat emanating from Eren. They both pulled at Eren until the nerves which engulfed his hands had been ripped from him. Mikasa rushed over to Eren's freed body

"Eren, are you alright?" she asked, her hand cupping his cheek.

Eren grumbled in response, his eyes slightly opened; his vision was extremely blurry but slowly, as it cleared, he was able to make out the people around him. Armin and Ed lifted his arms onto their shoulders; they turned around to see Ian, Rico and Mitabi talking to someone in front of them, the three of the, looked tense. The guy had his back was facing the Elrics and the Cadets, he was shorter than them, he had short straight black hair with an undercut, he was wearing what looked to be the same uniform as them but wore a green hooded cape with a different insignia to the crossed swords of the Cadets and the roses of the Garrison; the design looked to be two wings one blue and the other white.

"The wings of freedom…" muttered Eren, still in a daze

The guy then turned his head to face the group behind him, he had narrow grey eyes on an expressionless face like Annie and wore a cravat with his uniform. He scanned the open space littered with stone pillars and spikes around them along with the large evaporating Titan carcass behind them.

"So, kiddos" he said in a tone of voice which was both calm and intimidating "Mind telling me exactly what the hell just happened here?"


	12. Chapter 12: Our own reasons

Chapter 12: Our own reasons

Eren jolted up from his slumber, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the dimly lit room as they frantically looked around before him were two people and a set of dark metal bars standing in between him and them, he instantly recognized the people in front of him; the guy with the blond hair with an undercut, blue eyes with thick eyebrows and tall large built was Commander Erwin, the head of the Scout Regiment and next to him was Captain Levi, Humanity's strongest soldier.

"Any questions?" asked Erwin

"Yeah" replied Ed, sitting up from his own bed to the right of Eren who turned to face him, he then turned to his left to see Alphonse also sitting on his own bed "Just who you two are exactly?"

"I'm Erwin Smith, Commander of the Scout Regiment and the fellow to my side is Captain Levi." He announced, his voice was deep and radiated authority.

"W...Where are we?" asked Eren, stuttering on his words.

"It should be quite obvious, you boys are in a dungeon, you're held under the custody of the Military Police." Responded Erwin

"Can you believe it? We helped save a city from Titans and were treated like public enemy number one" said Ed in an annoyed manner "I don't expect a hero's welcome but a thank you would have been great and maybe food that wasn't moldy bread would be nice too."

"Tch, cocky little shit…" Levi remarked, rolling his eyes.

"Who you calling little, you pint sized midget with a bad haircut?" taunted Ed.

Levi raised one of his slender eyebrows at the insult; looking almost taken aback, the Military police officers guarding the cell snickered at the insult causing Levi to shoot them a look which had the guards biting their tongues very quickly. Eren was stunned that Ed had so brazenly thrown an insult at Humanity's strongest soldier straight to his face.

Alphonse attempted to defuse the situation by asking a question of his own "So what is the Scout Regiment?" he asked, a benign question but one that would avert from a confrontation.

"A good question; the Scout Regiment's responsible for exploration and the eventual reclaiming of former Human territories from the Titans by setting up bases outside the Walls" He explained "Though as of late our main priority is sealing the breach in Shiganshina District and reclaiming the lands within Wall Maria."

"What happened to the others who were with us?" asked Eren concerned for the well being of his closest friends.

"Don't worry about them; they're being interviewed along with anyone else who has come into contact with you boys." Erwin then reached into his pockets, in his right hand he held Eren's key and in his left hand he held Ed's pocket watch "I assume these belong to you; this is your key Cadet Yeager? And this pocket watch, this belongs to you Edward Elric?

"Yeah, it is." Replied Eren

"Could you give that back, it's not exactly polite to take another person's stuff without their permission" said Edward

"They'll be back in your possession in due time" assured Erwin "But first let's talk; Cadet Yeager your basement back in Shiganshina; from what I've heard there's a pretty big secret concerning the Titans am I correct? And Elrics, apparently you two were sent here from a different world to help us defeat the Titans."  
Eren shifted on his bed uncomfortable "Yeah I think so, or at least, that's what my dad said."

"Yes sir" said Alphonse.

"Two impossible claims and no way of verifying them" remarked Levi "How very convenient."

"There's no need for that, we've already been through this, and they have no reason to lie." Countered Erwin "However that's all we know for now; how about you boys enlighten us on your intentions."

"Intentions?" asked Eren while Ed and Alphonse stayed quiet.

"Yes, here's the situation; we'd like to find out what exactly is in your father's basent it might be the key to defeating the Titans once and for all and the best way of doing that is sealing up the breach in Shiganshina as you three had done in Trost, so naturally we'll need the abilities you boys possess in order to do that, anyway you think about people with seemingly inhuman abilities are going to decide the outcome of this war, it's almost certain that both the Armoured Titan and the Colossal Titan are the same as you Cadet Yeager and we don't know whether there could be more people from your world being sent here Elrics, which is why I'm asking your intentions you boys could be Humanity's greatest advantage. I noticed that this pocket watch has a very intricate design, looks official and within the watch was this folded ,masterfully drawn, portrait and an engraving on the case 'Don't forget third of October ten' do they happen to link with your intentions?"

"Portrait?" asked Ed.

"This" Erwin then opened the watch, picking out a small folded piece of paper, he carefully unfolded it, held it up gaps in between the bars and revealed it to th, Ed's eyes widen when he saw it; it was a photograph of him, Winry and Alphonse it was one of the first pictures they had taken of th all together when Al got his body back. That's why she wanted me to keep it. Eren looked at the portrait, he'd never seen something so detailed it was as if someone was able to capture the moment exactly on a piece of paper.

"Would I be correct in thinking that you two are agents who were sent here under the directive of your government?" asked Erwin

"No, you wouldn't" said Ed "Look I'm going to be honest; yes, I use to work for the military back in our world as something called a State Alchemist, they even use to call me Fullmetal, but I didn't join out of some great love or loyalty for my country; I just needed the money to fix a mistake we'd done in our childhood, which relates to that date, I quit a few years ago after it was solved and Al was never a part of the military. So no I wasn't sent here by the government, hell after everything that's happened back on our world the last thing they'd want is to be sucked into something like this, we're here by choice." said Ed, he thought that by being open with the Commander it would ease suspicion and prevent the possibility of being found out down the line and having to go through another conflict with this world's military. "We were sent here as part of a deal by something called the Truth or...God if you can believe it."

Eren gasped at what Ed had said, Levi's eyes widen slightly while Erwin still listened intently.

"From Ed and I's understanding and encounters with it; the Truth regulates people's ability to perform Alchemy, our abilities, and punishes those who try to play God with Alchemy." Alphonse continued "A few days ago it grabbed us and made us a deal; it'll grant us a demand which would allow us to bring back the loved ones who we lost but first we had to help you guys defeat the Titans and secure a future where you could live on for generations."

"So save our lives and in exchange you get to bring people back from the dead?" asked Levi "and I'm guessing after you've completed your mission you'll leave back to your world with all your newly resurrected loved ones in tow?"

"Yeah." said Ed.

"Hmm… A noble cause, Elrics." remarked Erwin "What about you Cadet Yeager?"

"I…" he thought about it, in his mind he relieved the moment when the Colossal Titan broke down the gate, when the Armoured Titan broke through Wall Maria, his mother was eaten and the night he made his promise, he'd kill every last Titan. "I… I want to join the Scout Regiment and kill every last Titan." Replied Eren with an almost crazed look in his eyes, his intentions weren't as noble as the Elrics but he was every bit, if not more so, determined to see it through.

"Seems like our paths have all joined onto one road; saving humanity and it looks like the best way to achieve that is to seal the breach in the Shiganshina district." Remarked Erwin. "Joining the Scout Regiment would put you on a straight path towards your objective; I wager that helping us reclaim Wall Maria and Shiganshina district would be more than enough to keep your end of the deal with this being called the Truth. But I will warn you; over the course of the four years since the fall of Wall Maria the efforts to lay a path to the breach has cost us sixty percent of our soldiers and the mortality rate of new trainees on their first expedition beyond the walls is thirty percent, mind you these are trainees who've had three years of training which you two don't have, so knowing all this I ask you; Edward Elric, Alphonse Elrics… will you join us?, is your resolve to save humanity on this earth, to see the ones you love again greater than your fear of dying?"

They paused for a moment; fully taking in the offer before them, when they'd jumped into this place and this war against the Titan they didn't have a clear objective or any clear idea of what they needed to do to defeat the Titans. Helping them recapture the area around Wall Maria would be almost the perfect way to go about it. But the survival rate did cause some hesitation; if only forty percent of people who were trained to fight Titans actually make it back alive then what were their odds?

"We'll do it" said Ed in a tone of voice matching his and Al's resolve "we'll join the Scout Regiment."

"Good to hear" said Erwin with a sly smile on his face "And final question; is it possible you can use your powers to quickly rebuild a gate in Trost?"

"Yes, we can do that." Said Alphonse

"Wonderful." replied Erwin his calm and authoritative tone now had a hint of playfulness

"Huh… well I can't say I'm not impressed with your reasons, even though I think you three are all completely way in over your heads." Said Levi "Erwin, tell the brass I'll be the one responsible for them" he moved forward and gripped the bars, scanning the three in the cell "Not that I trust them of course, it's more a matter of keeping an eye on them in case the Elrics betray us or Yeager goes rogue, I'm sure they'll trust that I'm more than capable to putting them down if it comes to that" he paused to allow his thinly veiled threat to sink in "congratulations Yeager, Elrics; welcome to the Scout Regiment."

"It's settled then" said Erwin standing from the chair "You boys will have to endure this for just a little longer, make no mistake we are doing everything in our power to see you three out of this cell."

* * *

Eren slowly opened his eyes, waking up from his sleep, it must have been hours, maybe even a day since him, Ed and Alphonse spoke with Commander Erwin and Captain Levi. He shifted his head to the left to see Alphonse lying down with his head facing the wall still asleep, he then shifted his head to his right to see Ed biting down into a piece of bread, the chains on his shackles clanked to the movements of his arms. He turned to face the guard by the cell

"Hey, can I have some water?" he asked the guard.

"No" was the reply "You're not getting anything, you monster."

Eren was taken aback by the insult, slightly flinching.

"Asshole" muttered Ed.

"They gave you some more bread?" said Eren.

"Yeah, it's mouldy, but I'm hungry." Replied Ed as he bit down into the piece of bread again.

Eren as he sat up on his bed, his eyes slightly widen when he saw that Ed's left foot was encased in metal, upon closer examination Eren could see the screws and details; his foot was either encased in metal or it was made out of metal.

"Staring at my leg, huh?" said Ed, startling Eren, he then placed the half eaten piece of bread on the dresser next to his bed and with both hands rolled up his trouser sleeve to reveal that his leg up to his knee was replaced with some kind of metal prosthetic. Eren was amazed at what he saw; he then looked down at his own leg, the one which had been bitten off by that Titan during the Trost evacuation, and looked back at Ed's leg. During the time he'd never of guessed that Ed was missing his left leg; he was fast and didn't move with a limp, their world must have advanced technology far beyond what he could comprehend. "It's called Automail; metal prosthetic which works just as well as a real limb." He demonstrated by wiggling his metal toes. "Of course the surgery and recovery was hell, coughed up blood for a couple months and it aches whenever it rains."

Eren wondered what could have happened to Ed for him to have the lower half of his leg replaced by this metal prosthetic, then he remembered Ed mentioning something about fixing a mistake he and Al made "Sorry if I'm prying, but is your leg related to that accident you told Commander Erwin?" asked Eren innocently.

Ed thought about whether he should tell him or not, it was a personal story and a painful one at that, but they were going to be working with Eren closely for the foreseeable future until they plug up Wall Maria so building a relationship would be a good idea and being open to the guy would be a start plus he was on the same boat as them; the three of them would be considered freaks in this world and it's not like he could judge them for committing a taboo in alchemy when he and Al were the only ones on this planet who could perform it. "Yeah… we did a stupid thing involving Alchemy, it cost me my leg and my right arm at the time." He said raising his right arm up; Eren looked at his arm, it looked like a normal human limb.

"It cost me a lot more" said Alphonse, causing Eren to shift his head towards him, Alphonse was now sitting up, a mug of water in his hand, he had woke in time to hear his brother talking about his Automail leg and Eren's question "We carried out something called human transmutation...we tried to bring our mother back to life." He said solemnly "She died when we were young and our dad was away at the time, so it was just Ed and I by ourselves, it went wrong and... we ended up making a huge mistake."

"It took something like five years trying to set things right, we put ourselves through hell and it almost got us killed at times but we succeeded and got everything back; I got my arm back and Al got, well... everything back." Finished Edward, he looked down at his leg and tapped on it. "Well...I got almost everything."

Eren was speechless after hearing their story; the loss they had to endure and their journey to rectify their mistake, they may have not faced monstrosities like he did but these two had been through their own hell, he felt humbled that they would tell him and slightly guilty for prying into their life and for being the first to hear this; they had agreed that they'd sit down and talk about this with everyone.

"My… My mother" stuttered Eren "When the titans attacked our home she... she didn't make it." Tears threaten to escape Eren's eyes as he recalled those terrible events as his hands gripped the blanket over him. "A family friend managed to save Mikasa and I but not her... a titan was coming and she just told us to run... I saw her get..."

"Eren...you don't have to say anymore, we understand." Ed interjected.

Ed and Alphonse listened to Eren story, horrified by what they had just heard; no one should have to see their mother die in front of them at such a young age but to see your mother killed in the most horrible way possible... they remember feeling powerless as they saw their mother's body on the floor one night, they couldn't imagine how Eren felt when he saw his mother being eaten.

"That's why I hate them… They took everything from me, everything from all of us who live on this world; our families, our friends, our homes… our very freedom, that's why I want to kill them and I won't stop until I've put every single one of the into the ground." He said, driven by his bloodlust.

Suddenly the sound of a door opening and shutting interrupted them and the three of them turned to face the metal bars were greeted by two individuals, who, by the looks of the insignia on their brown jackets, were part of the Scouting Regiment. One of them was a woman who looked to be about their height, had dark brown hair done up in a pony tail, wide light brown eyes and wore thick rimmed glasses and the other one was a man who was as tall, if not taller than, Bertholdt but this guy also had a large build, with blond hair parted in the middle and a dark moustache and beard. The two looked at them for a few seconds before the woman rushed up to the bars of their cell, gripped the bars and stared at the three of them intensely for a few seconds

"Gah!" exclaimed Ed, startled by the unusual introduction while Eren and Alphonse moved away

"Hello" she said in an overtly friendly manner. "Eren Yeager, Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric if I'm not mistaken, sorry for the wait boys but it looks like we can finally get you three out of here." The three of them smiled at the good news "Though you'll need to put on these, also Elrics these ones were specifically designed for you." She handed them three pairs of handcuff, one had a metal chain in between the shackles while the other two had a metal rod in between the shackles.

They seem acutely aware of the fact we perform alchemy by clapping our hands thought Ed as he was put in shackles with his hands behind his back.

* * *

On Wall of Rose above the entrance into the newly reclaimed Trost District, Commander Pixis and Commander Erwin discussed the trial of Eren, Ed and Alphonse.

"I'm confident you are aware of the Military Police's plan to assume custody of Cadet Yeager and the Elric brothers, yes?" Asked Commander Pixis.

"Yes, I was briefed on this yesterday, they plan to hold a debate on the subject" replied Erwin.

"The decision is ultimately Zackley's to make on whether those three end up in the Scouts or the Military Police" mentions Pixis

"Zackly?" questioned Erwin "Chief Darius Zackly?"

"Yes and I'm guessing that the factors he will weight up are whether these boys are either assets or threats to our survival and whether they can be trusted or not." Stated Pixis, he took out his canteen from his side "If it's the latter then those boys will executed, on the spot if need be." He said grimly as he swirled the contents of his canteen around for a bit "Those boys were instrumental to the Trost recovery operation and it would pain me to see them die; I know that team leaders Ian Dietrich, who was in charge of their protection during the operation, Rico Brzenska and Mitabi Jarnach will vouch for them if called upon however there is fierce debate within Garrison ranks over those three boys and I fear picking a side would deepen any divide that are forming; so my hands are tied, the most I can do is disagree with the MPs, tell me, do you think you can win the argument?"

"As it stands the case for the Elrics can be made although I don't know if Nile Dok might have something up his sleeve to use against them and for Cadet Yeager that's going to be difficult, but nonetheless we still have a proposal prepared and argue the case for all three of them joining the Scout Regiment." responded Erwin "How'll that will work out will be based on how the debate unfolds."

"Thinking on your feet huh…" said Pixis curiously.

"Thinking on our feet is how we've always done it in the Scout Regiment." Replied Erwin.

* * *

Outside of a beautifully constructed building Nile Dok, the Commander of the Military Police, along with a squad of his Officers awaited the arrival of Commander-in-chief Darius Zackly for the court case over the fate of the Eren Yeager and the Elric brothers. Over the past few days news of these three had spread across Wall Rose and Wall Sina sparking intense debate over their existence and their purpose to humanity; emotions and passions were high as protests and riots from the regular citizens erupted across the districts and even within the Capital itself in support of the three against those within the elite of society, the gun owning Aristocrats, the clergy and members of the central government who believed the three to be nothing but a threat to the Walls.  
Fear of a civil war breaking out over these three was becoming a terrifying possibility.

"Savior…" he muttered with a hint of disdain in his voice, his arms folded while tapping his left foot impatiently "Angels… what a bunch of nonsense, the common folk will believe just about anything."

"If these rumors get out of hand then it's very likely we'll have a rebellion to deal with." Said one of the Military police officers

"No, that won't happen; the legend of these three will die here" he said "It'll be a cold day in hell before I let a group of freaks and spies get added into the ranks of the Scout Regiment." He then spotted the approaching cart of the Commander-in-Chief

"Form ranks!" he ordered as the squad lined up with Nile at the front, the cart to the door was opened and out stepped the Darius Zackly.

"All Hail to the Primer!" he announced as he and his men saluted.


	13. Chapter 13: Words have Power

**Chapter 13: Words have Power.**

The three of them were marched along a long corridor while being escorted by two armed guards with unicorn emblems on their jackets and the two scouts who they thought were here to get them.

"My name's Hange Zoe, I'm a squad leader in the Scout Regiment and my friend here is also a squad leader for the Scouts, his name is Mike Zacharias." She said while Mike sniffed the boys, leaning down and taking a few whiffs of them, Eren and Alphonse cringed as Mike sniffed them.

"Hey, ever heard of personal space?" asked Ed in an annoyed manner as Mike sniffed him.

"Don't mind him, he always does this when meeting new people." laughed Hange "He doesn't mean it in any threatening manner and beside his quirks he's a skilled squad leader." There was a few seconds of uncomfortable silence as the group continued to walk down the corridor"Oh would you look at that, we're already here." She said pretending to be concerned "But you know what, it's better if I just don't explain anything" she finished with a smile

"Huh?" said Eren

"Wait what the hell going on-" said Ed, before they were pushed past the large doors by the guards

"Don't worry about a thing boys, just speak from the heart." She responded "and remember boys we're all counting on you three." She finished, the doors slamming shut. They looked around to find themselves in a large courtroom, with a large tapestry on the ceiling and rows of seats on the left and right side on a well polished marble floor, there were balconies above them and in front of them, an open space with three elevated platforms and a large desk in front of what looked to be a throne with the four insignia of the military branches above it.

They stood there in awe at the place _A courtroom?_ Thought Eren _we was underneath a courtroom?_ suddenly the barrel of a rifle was then roughly shoved into their backs "Hey, keep moving!" said one of the guards, they entered the open space and were told to each stand on an elevated platform, with Ed in between Eren who was to his left, near the Scouts and Al to his right, near the Military Police, and get on their knees as a metal poll was placed to lock their shackles and hold them on the spot

 _Won't be able to perform Alchemy if things get messy_ thought Ed. Eren looked around the room; examining the faces of the people in the room, he looked to his right to face the Military Police who were led by Nile Dok, holding what looked to be sheets of paper in his hands and to his left he saw Commander Pixis along with Ian, Rico and Mitabi, Commander Erwin with Captain Levi and… Mikasa, Armin and Mina.

"Mina?" mouthed Alphonse to her

 _Mikasa! Armin!_ Eren thought as he stared at them

The three of them stared back at Eren, Ed and Alphonse, Mikasa and Armin were discussing the trial and what become of them, what might happen to Eren during lunch while Mina was talking to Annie when suddenly a member of the Military Police called out their names to act as witness and if need be to provide testimonies at court.

The sound of a door creaking open caught the attention of everyone in the room and out stepped a large old man with grey hair and beard wearing glasses. He walked up to the chair and placed his jacket neatly on the desk

"Who's he?" whispered Ed to Eren

"That's Premier, Darius Zackly; he's in charge of all branches in the Military." Responded Eren

"So shall we begin" said Darius "So your names are Eren Yeager, Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric, yes?"

"Yes" they responded

"Eren Yeager, as a soldier you have pledged to give up your life in service for the public, yes?"

"Yes sir" responded Eren

"In ordinary times your case would have been treated as a court marshal, however these aren't ordinary times as we have the Elric brothers who, although aren't part of any military branch, are also on trial; their involvement in the Trost recovery operation and desire to join a branch of the military, specifically the Scout Regiment, means I have decided to treat them as soldiers; as such I will decide which branch of the military you three will fall under custody of and ultimately whether you three live or die" announced Darius "Any objections?"

"No…" they said after some hesitation, Ed had a bad feeling about the whole situation; he, Al and Eren were now at the mercy of this man and their hopes were now pinned on Commander Erwin making a convincing case on their behalf.

"Very good" replied Darius in a monotone voice "now as many in this room must know, your existence and arrival has led to intense debate these past recent days within these walls; some call you boys demons, monster and a very threat to Humanity, while others call you a saviour and angels who sent here to save the Human race, as expected we couldn't keep your existence a secret and if we fail to produce a public statement on such we run the risk of widespread civil unrest, a decision must be made and the regiment who shall hold custody of you three will determine your fate; The Military Police or the Scout Regiment." He paused allowing the information to sink in for a few seconds "The Military Police shall present their case."

"Thank you, Premier" he said "I'm Nile Dok, the Commander of the Military Police, our recommendation is this; we shall have a thorough examination of Eren's anatomy and as for the Elrics, their outsider status of not just within these walls but within this very world makes them an unknown variable and an all to likely threat to us; as such we shall place them under interrogation to extract any crucial information they may possess, after this we shall have the three of them disposed of immediately."

Eren, Ed and Alphonse mouths' were all agape at what he was saying; he'd have Eren cut open and killed the Elrics tortured and then afterwards killed as well. Armin, Mikasa and Mina grimaced when they heard the proposal.

"While we acknowledge the vital role they had in the recovery of Trost, as the Premier has stated their mere existence has inspired rebellious sentiment; with those who control the reins of power viewing them as a threat and the masses who view Eren as a saviour and Elrics angles sent from Heaven, mainly within Wall Rose and its surrounding districts, as such for the greater good when we have extracted all the information that we can from them, they shall be made martyrs for Humanity." He finished

Ed was about to yell at Nile Dok is response at his proposal _If these bastards thing they can torture and kill me and my brother then they're completely deluded._

"Unacceptable!" yelled the person standing next to Nile, he was old, had short hair, sunken in eyes and wore a black robe and some kind of big necklace around his neck. "Eren is nothing more than a pest who has slipped past the divine protection of the walls and these brothers are demons, false shepherds who claim to be angels, they talk of this other world to lead us away from the divine protection of these walls!"

 _What at nutcase_ thought Ed as he listened to the priest's ramblings with a perplexed look on his face

 _Wall cultists… They're the ones who have made putting cannons on the Wall a difficulty_ thought Eren _Five years ago nobody would listen to them, no_ w _they're gained some power._

"Minister Nick, please settle down." Asked Darius "Now I wish to hear the proposal presented by the Scout Regiment

 _Please don't mess this up_ thought Ed and Alphonse

"Thank you Premier" said Erwin "I am Erwin Smith, the Commander for the Scout Regiment; we propose that Eren Yeager, Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric be inducted into the ranks of the Scout Regiment so that we can utilise their abilities to retake Wall Maria… that is all" he finished still keeping that calm authoritative demeanour.

"Is that all you have to say, Erwin?" asked Darius

"Yes sir, with Eren's Titan strength and the Elric's Alchemic abilities we stand a good chance of reclaiming Wall Maria, our priorities are clear."

 _We're so dead_ thought Ed

"A bold plan, Erwin, of course I ask where will you set up your base to launch your expeditions outside the Walls in future?" asked Darius "Commander Pixis, from what I've read the wall in Trost is completely sealed, correct?"

"Yes and it's likely that the entrance shall remained sealed." Responded Pixis

"I respectably disagree with Commander Pixis' assessment" said Erwin "I have been informed by the Elrics that they could construct an entrance using their Alchemic Abilities; meaning that we can set up base back in Trost and this also means that the last four years of work in forming a supply route won't go to waste."

"You will risk the supply path you've set up for four years if those three are allowed to join the Scout Regiment." Stated Nile

"You're talking about opening a hole in Trost when it was just sealed up a few days ago" cried a person standing on the side of the Military Police "madness, clearly the best course of action is to seal up all the entrances since they're the only places the Colossal Titan can break through and be done with this war! We can't continue to fund these suicide missions just so a bunch of soldiers can play hero! "

"That's a lot of bullshit for a pig." Remarked Levi in a cold intimidating manner "Do you really believe that the Titans will just allow us to strengthen our defenses and wait for their turn? And when you say we I'm assuming you mean you and your gluttonous merchant friends? Are you so out of it that you don't realize that there are people struggling to get by because we don't have enough land?"

"Look… All I'm saying is that sealing the gates maybe our only way to guarantee our safety"

"You heretic, Hold your tongue! These walls are a gift from God, are you suggesting that we humans tamper with God's creation!" the minister continued to go on a rant about the divinity of the walls leaving to looks of discomfort and disgruntled expression by most in the room. Suddenly the echo of a hand slamming on the table broke the minister's rant.

"Order, I suggest you save your sermonises for a more appropriate occasion" said Darius, slightly annoyed "Now I'll ask you three a question; Eren Yeager as a soldier will you use your Titan abilities for the benefit of humanity? And Elric brothers can you pledge right here and now that, in the time you will spend here as soldiers of humanity, your allegiance is to the people within these walls and that you'll follow the structure of command as subordinates to your superior officers?

"Yes sir" replied Eren eagerly

"Yes" replied Both Ed and Alphonse "We promise to do so." Alphonse added

"Interesting, because the reports produced by the Garrison officers responsible for your safety state otherwise" remarked Darius "Eren Yeager its states that soon after you transformed into a Titan you had tried to attack Edward Elric and looked to be preparing to attack Cadet Mikasa Ackerman before you were incapacitated by Edward Elric, as presented by multiple people who witnessed the event occur" Eren moved back sharply and gasped, he shifted his head to Ed who looked at him and shrugged and then to Mikasa who was giving angry glares to the Garrison Officers standing to her right. "And Elrics, it says here that after the red flare was fired into the sky signalling for a retreat, instead of waiting on the order of Team leader Ian Dietrich you both instead abandoned your squad and effectively broke the chain of command and on top of this, Edward you had mentioned a one Maes Hugh a Brigadier General, by all accounts you talked of him as if you were once a subordinate to him, which puts into question your allegiances."

Ed turned his head to look at the Garrison officers _that was my promise to you_ Ed thought _that we would make sure the deaths in Trost meant something_ Rico looked at Ed and Alphonse as if she wanted to apologize and explain why she had to mention it. He then turned to face Darius "Maes Hughes wasn't my superior officer, he was a friend of Al and I back on our world who died a few years ago."

"Were you ever part of the military back on your world?" asked Darius

Ed thought about whether he should answer that question honestly _if I tell them I was a State Alchemist they'll send Al and I to the Military Police for sure, but how do if this isn't some kind of test of honesty? He knew that the three of us wanted to join Scout Regiment so Erwin must have told him that, maybe he told him about what I said._

"I was, but Alphonse wasn't" Ed stated clearly "I use to be a State Alchemist, but that was a few years ago and since then I had resigned my government license; I don't work for my government, Al and I came here out of our own choice to help you people, the government back on our world has no interest in you, hell there was just a huge change in leadership and the last thing they want is to be caught up in other country's affairs let alone other world's."

"With respect Premier but how can we trust their word knowing that they we're employed by their world's military?" questioned Nile "How can we ever trust that their allegiances are towards us and not still to their government? For all we know they could have been in constant contact with their world; relaying information about us and our military capabilities and as for Cadet Eren Yeager, our investigation of him has revealed that six years ago he and Cadet Mikasa Ackerman had killed three slave traders at just the age of nine years old." Gasps and whispers could be heard across the court room, Ed and Alphonse both looked at Eren, they couldn't imagine what that must have been like; to take another person's life at such a young age. "While this was in self-defense, one cannot help but question the violent nature of the act."

"Nile Dok raises some good points" said Darius "Cadet Mina Carolina, in the report it's said you were the first to encounter the Elrics, can you clearly and truthfully state whether you had seen any suspicious activity from the Elric brothers to suggest that they are operating under the orders of a foreign power?"

"None, sir." She said as confidently as she could "In the time I've know them all they've done is try be as helpful as they could to us; in many cases putting themselves in harm's way so that others wouldn't have too and the only question they ever asked me was how to kill a Titan."

"Interesting" replied Darius "And what of you Mikasa Ackerman, is there perhaps anything you'd like to shed light on?"

"Yes sir, as far as I know this is the only account of Eren losing control of his Titan abilities, he had saved my life two times before that; once when I was out of gas facing a fifteen meter with only a blunt blade and the other time was when he shielded Armin, Mina, the Elrics and I from a cannonball."

"And what about you Ian, anything to add?" asked Darius

"Yes Premier, while it is true that the Elrics broke the chain of command I believe their reason to do so was justified; they were determined to make sure the deaths of our comrades didn't go in vain and they helped in holding back more Titans from entering the city, if they we're absence from the battle then it's safe to assume more Titans would have entered Trost resulting in further casualties to the Garrison elite squads."added Ian

"I can testify to that, sir" added Rico "Edward Elric had held back five Titans at the entrance long enough for Eren Yeager to place the boulder."

"Premier, If I may, there are a few problems with their testimonies; one being that they are inclined to be biased in favor of these boys; Mina Carolina owes her life to them and Mikasa to Eren, not to mention the long standing childhood friendship between the two, and second while Mina was in close to the Elrics during the evacuation she wasn't always with them; there are gaps in their time here where they weren't under anyone's supervision, from the moment they got here, the moment of the escape to the HQ in Trost and the time they abandoned the Garrison officers; three opportunities they could have used to possibly assume contact with their world again and while their intentions may seem noble lets not forget they still broke the chain of command, so I ask you; can we really risk it? Can we really put our faith in these three; put our resources, money, our soldiers and the very fate of humanity itself in their hands?"

"We're here to help, asshole!" yelled Edward to Nile "We are willing to face the Titans and help you retake your lost land and you want to kill us instead, throw away three possible great assets to use? How did an idiot like you make Commander anyways?"

"How do we know they're friends are part of it?" cried a random person

"They said there were only two other survivors of his squad, they could have been their traitors in disguise!" said another

"Kill them just in case!" proclaimed another

"You leave my friends out of this!" yelled Eren "They had nothing to do with this!"

Alphonse looked around with a feeling of anxiety taking over his body, this whole thing had gone from bad to worse and now it's devolved into a screaming match between the Military Police against Ed and Eren

"Shut up!" yelled Eren from the stop of his lungs, silencing the courtroom "Look at you all, you're only priority is pushing whatever story makes sense to you; you've completely cut yourselves off from the real world."

"What did you say?" replied Nile

"Why does it matter to you?" _What am I saying?_ "None of you have even seen a Titan before so why are you so afraid _I should just keep my mouth shut… No if they want to kill me then I'm going to tell them what I think_ what's the point in having power and doing nothing with it? If you're too afraid to fight then fine we'll do it instead but don't stop us from doing it! **YOU COWARDS! HOW ABOUT FOR ONCE IN YOUR MISERABLE LIVES YOU JUST SHUT UP AND GET BEHIND THE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO FIGHT!**

There was a few seconds of uncomfortable silence "Stand ready!" yelled Nile

"Yes, sir "they replied as they lined up a small firing squad at the three boys

 _Crap, what have I done?_ Thought Eren

 _Shit! Got to think of something!_ Thought Ed

 _Not like this!_ Thought Alphonse

But before the MPs could shoot him, Levi had delivered a shift kick to Eren's cheek, sending a tooth flying out of his mouth and right in front of Alphonse, everyone turned watch Levi as he stood there, his leg still off the ground. Before Eren could compose himself Levi sent another kick into his gut he then grabbed him by the hair and collar and pulled Eren forward to knee him in the head. Everyone watched with their mouths agape as Levi brutalised the Titan shifter. Mikasa was about to intervene and kill Levi but was stopped by Armin who grabbed her hand "Mikasa, Wait" he whispered as they continue to watch Eren get kicked repeatedly while Mina, Ed and Alphonse watched in horror as their friend was getting beaten up, unable to defend himself. Eren gasped for air before Levis stomped his head into the marble floor

"This is just my opinion" said Levi in monotone voice "But I've always found pain to be an effective way of disciplining people, you don't need a lecture you need to be taught a lesson and you just happen to be in perfect kicking position." He then continued to kick Eren, switching from kicking him in the temple to stomping on him.

"Hey!" yelled Ed catching Levi's attention, he shifted his head towards him "You think you're a big guy for kicking someone who can't defend themselves?"

Levi walked over to Ed who was in the centre of the three, Ed continued to glare at Levi even when he knew he was next to be beaten while locked to this metal poll, unable to perform alchemy. "You think you can beat me into submission?" questioned Ed

"No" responded Levi "But I know just what to do to have you beneath my feet." Suddenly Ed felt a pair of hands grab from behind his head and forcibly shift it towards Alphonse and Levi "Hey what are yo-" his stomach dropped when he realised just what was about to happen

"You aren't someone I can beat into being disciplined, but when the people you love comes into the crosshair then that an entirely different story" said Levi who then looked down at Alphonse who had a look of worry and fear

"Ed-" Levi then grabbed Alphonse by his hair and collar, pulled him forward and kneed him in his face

"No! Stop!" yelled Ed as he struggled to free himself from his the stranger's grip

Levi then kneed Alphonse in the gut, again and again and again.

"I'll kill you!" shouted Ed "I'll kill you!" as he tried to break free from his restraints, the threats only seemed to intensify the beating as he began kicking Alphonse in the temple, each time Alphonse cried out in pain

"Al!" cried Ed, as the tears fell from his eyes, forced to watch his brother get beaten in front of him and being unable to do anything, everyone watched still stunned; Armin had let go of Mikasa who was now just watching Alphonse get beaten both of them looked on mortified by what they were seeing, Mina shut her eyes trying to look away, tears falling from her closed eyes as she heard Alphonse's groans of pain and Ed crying out. Nile Dok and the Military Police watched stunned and wondered whether they should step in and Erwin watch stone faced, not a single change in his stern expression.

"Stop it…" said Eren "If you're gonna hurt someone, hurt me; he's not a monster, I am…" he tried to reason

Mikasa gasped "Eren… no." she whispered

"Please…" said Ed, visibly shaking "He's my little brother, don't hurt him… I'll do whatever you want just stop hurting him…" he was begging Levi to stop, Levi turned to Ed, kneel down and picked Alphonse up from his slump by his head and forced him upwards, Alphonse was fighting to stay conscious, blood running down his nose and his face covered in purple marks, he then let go of Alphonse head, his body falling into a slump, while the person behind Ed released his head, allowing to just look at the ground and try to compose himself.

"Sir, I have a proposal." Declared Erwin "There is still too much about Yeager that we don't know and the Elrics still remain an unknown factor to us so I propose this; that the three of them shall be placed under Captain Levi's supervision as a fail-safe in case the Elrics betray us or Yeager goes rogue, we shall conduct a recon mission outside the walls from Karanes for the 57th expedition to track Titan movements in the area ,we had deduced that should the Colossal Titan and Armour Titan strike again their next target could be the next closet entry would be that district, this also provides with the opportunity to put their abilities to the test without endangering the infrastructure we set up from Trost and if Eren has shown to be in control of his Titan abilities and the Elrics have shown themselves to be dedicated towards the cause of humanity on this world, then the three of them will have proven their value to mankind."

"The three of them will be kept under a watchful eye?" questioned Darius "Captain Levi, can you guarantee you'll be able to manage them?"

"It's said that between the three of them they've killed over forty Titans; their intelligence and abilities would make the dangerous foes, but I can take them down all the same, which means that I can handle them, they'll learn to be obedient under my watch" He said looking over to Ed who glared at him with gritting his teeth, tears still falling down his cheeks while still visibly shaking with rage. "Drawback is of course, is that there'l be no middle ground, either one of them goes rogue or tries to backstab us then I'll definitely have to kill them."

Darius closed his eyes for a second "Then I have made my choice; Eren Yeager, Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric are to be placed into the custody of the Scout Regiment."

After the court case Eren and Alphonse were sat down on a couch having their injuries examined by Hange with Edward cleaning the blood from Al's face, he placed the soaking wet rag under his brother's nose to wipe away the blood from his upper lip

"You alright? Asked Ed, concerned for Al's well being

"I should be fine." replied Alphonse "hadn't experienced pain like that since teacher."

Just then Levi walked into the room, Ed turned around and almost instantly he felt his blood boil "You!" he yelled as he swung his right fist at Levi who quickly grabbed it with his own right hand, Ed then went to swing with his left hand and that too was grabbed by Levi, the two of them were now in a stand-off waiting to see who'd break first, Ed glared at him while Levi just continued to look at him with that same expressionless face, _for someone whose this short he's pretty strong_ thought Ed as he pushed his weight onto him.

"Brother!" exclaimed Alphonse

"Ed, what are you doing?" exclaimed Eren, stunned that he'd try to attack Captain Levi

"Edward" said Levi, in a calm manner "calm down, there's no need for this."

"You didn't have to beat my brother!" responded Ed angrily though gritted teeth

"But he had to; if Levi hadn't shown that he could control you then Darius would have sided with the Military Police and now you'd be on a wagon for Mitras to be tortured and killed" explained Erwin "What we did was brutal but it was necessary to your survival."

Ed began anger began to diminish as Erwin explained to him why, he straighten his back and lowered his hands, Levi then moved pass Ed and sat on the chair between Eren and Alphonse who flinched as he sat right next to them "So boys, are we all on the same page?" asked Levi

"Yes, sir." Replied Eren and Alphonse

"Yeah…" replied Edward is an angered hushed tone

"Glad to hear it" replied Levi "now Elrics, I've been told that I'm to teach you how to operate the ODM gear in preparation for the coming expedition."

"Indeed" said Erwin with a smile on his face "I'm postponing the expedition by about another month, which should give you two plenty of time to familiarise yourselves the equipment and you're going to be taught be Captain Levi, a master in ODM gear and someone who was self-taught."

"Now I won't make any promises that you'll come out it as experts, but at the very least you'll be competent enough to not fly straight into the mouth of a Titan." Added Levi "So be prepared we'll begin training once we get settled in to our new base."

Ed and Alphonse both looked at each other with wide eyes, trying to imagine what it'll be like to use the ODM gear and soar through the air _Looks like we won't be asking people for piggyback rides anymore_ thought Alphonse.

 _Trained by Captain Levi… that's a privilege I would have given anything to have_ thought Eren

"Well boys, welcome to the Scout Regiment" said Erwin "I look forward to working with you three" he extended his hand towards them

"Yes sir" said Eren as he enthusiastically shook Erwin's hand, as he realized his life dream

"Thank you" said Alphonse, shaking his hand

"Yeah, sure." replied Ed hesitantly while he shook his hand, realising that he and Al took one step closer towards realising their own goal.

"Now Eren, I need to see your mouth." Said Hange, Eren obliged and opened his mouth

"Huh?" said Hange as he looked at a full set of teeth; she opened up the handkerchief to reveal the tooth that was kicked out of Eren's mouth "Your tooth…it grew back…"


	14. Chapter 14: Members of the Team

**Chapter 14: Members of the Team**

"This is your uniform" said Levi as he handed the lethargic looking Elric brothers both a perfectly folded pile of clothes which consisted of a light brown jacket with the white and blue wings insignia on the back, both shoulders and on the front left pocket, white pants, a teal coloured shirt, a dark brown sash and knee high boots and a dark green cloak with a hood. The one thing both Ed and Alphonse noticed about the uniform was the amount of belts that had to be strapped onto it; around their legs, around their waists and around their chests. "While you're on duty you'll wear this and off duty you can wear your civilian clothing again, now hurry up and get changed; we're leaving soon and we got a long journey ahead of us."

"Yes, sir" they replied as they were left to change in a room by themselves, they began to change into their new uniform, the belts were a maze to figure out, a series of harness and metal plates that needed to be attached to certain parts of their body.

"Hey!" called out Levi on the other side of the door "what's taking you two so long?"

"Uh, Sir, we don't know how these belts work" explained Alphonse

Levi sighed "You decent?" he asked

"Yeah" replied Ed, with that Levi open the door and entered the room

"Alright, pay attention because I'm only going to show you once" he explained "first off, you're meant to put the harnesses on before the jacket" he said looking unimpressed at Edward "this large leather plate is meant to go on your back, the two smaller metal plates go just above your asses and you're meant to slip into these harnesses feet first and work your way up, these belts are there to tighten the harnesses to your body, this is important to know; it's part of the weight shifting equipment for the ODM gear, balance is key when it comes to this and could mean the difference between life and death."

Following his instructions they managed to work their way through the tangle web of leather "Thank you, sir" said Alphonse

"Don't mention it" replied Levi in that same monotone voice "Consider this the first lesson on your crash course of ODM gear, now hurry up and get your things on the wagon, I'd like to reach our destination today."

Ed looked at himself in the mirror adjusting the green cloak under the collar of his jacket while Alphonse gathered the rest of their things into a suitcase. Back when he was a State Alchemist they never expected him to wear the uniform but this military wasn't as relaxed about it as theirs; if they were going to be a part of the Scout Regiment they had to look like a part of them. He picked up his pocket watch on a dresser table and checked the time; it was four thirty in the morning, he placed it in his front right pocket and finally draped his green cloak over his shoulders, buttoning the ends together to hold it in place.

"Ready to go, Al?" asked Ed as he watched Alphonse put on his green cloak

Alphonse picked up the suitcase by the handle "Ready." He replied

It was early in morning and the dawn had yet to come, the only light sources were the torches on the buildings across the city, it was another wall in city like Trost; Hermina which was connected to Wall Sina, the third and final wall. Ed looked around, Hermina looked like a better developed Trost; the buildings looked to be made of smooth white stone bricks, the roads weren't rough cobblestone and the architecture was stunning almost angelic in its design.

"This place looks a lot different from Trost" remarked Alphonse

"That's because we're in the interior" said Eren from behind them "It's part of the inner most wall where a lot of rich folk and merchants live and where most of the Military Police work, they usually only go into Wall Rose to do business."

"Hey brats" called Levi "You three coming?"

"Y-Yes sir!" replied Eren as he rushed over to his horse

"So Elrics, you two know how to ride a horse?" asked Levi, he and a bunch of others were already on their horses or at the front of the wagon

"We've done it a few times; I even had to cross the desert on horseback." Replied Ed as he and Alphonse mounted their horses and grabbed onto the reins.

"Good because the only way getting around here is by horses or wagons pulled by horses." responded Levi "Also put your hoods up; we don't want anyone to notice you three; you've got a high profile and getting spotted by the wrong kinds of people could put you in more trouble than you're already are."

As they left through the main gate into an area within Wall Rose, Eren caught up with Ed and Al who were riding together "Hey, you mentioned riding across the desert?" he asked curiously

"Yeah" replied Ed "Why'd you ask?"

"Armin, he'd love to hear about it" replied Eren "When we were little kids he'd show Mikasa and I this book about the world outside the walls; the rivers of fire, the land of ice, the plains of sand he'd call and the ocean which was this lake this never ending lake."

Ed and Alphonse both smiled at Eren "We'll be happy to tell you guys all about it, we use to do a lot of travelling back on our world."

"We've been to places like that, though I'm sorry to say we've never been to the ocean; our country is surrounded by other countries looking to takeover us from the north, west and south and a massive desert to our east."

"So, in a sense, you're walled in by threats?" asked Eren

"Huh…" said Ed coming to the realization "I guess we are."

It was mid-day when they reached their destination; the old Scout Regiment Headquarters, a large beautifully designed and run down castle which was in the process of being claimed by nature.

"As far as castles go it's something to behold, yes?" asked one of the squad members to Eren and the Elrics in a condescending tone, he was riding just slightly ahead of them he had a hairstyle similar to Captain Levi, even wore a cravat, expect his hair was a light brown and he looked as though he was in his forties with the wrinkles on his face "Use to be home to royalty in its time and after that our headquarters, while it is lavish it's was also very impractical; what with being too far away from any river or walls but those were the early days back when the Scout Regiment had just formed and ambition fueled the spirits of the first scouts and now this enormous ornament is has become a holding cell for the scout's new weapons."

Eren wasn't paying attention to him instead he turned his head to get a look at Captain Levi, who was riding behind them, only to find that Levi had been staring at Eren and the Elrics the whole time with that same expressionless face. Eren snapped his head forward as if you avoid making eye contact, noticing Eren's reaction Ed turned his head back to see Levi staring at him, he made eye contact with him and the two were now locked into a staring contest with each other waiting to see who'd break away first... or at least that how Ed saw it; the Captain just stared at Edward looking unimpressed and apathetic.

"Listen rookies" said the old looking guy, Eren, Ed and Alphonse all turned to face him "Don't expect us to be a your beck and call"

"Excuse me?" said Eren

"Titans, Alchemists, I don't care, the idea of Captain Levi having to baby sit you three piss ants makes me sick-" he bit down hard on tongue as his horse took a misstep onto a small rock on the path, blood spurted from his mouth, Eren panicked slightly and reached out as if to help, Alphonse looked mortified as the guy tried to fumble for a piece of cloth to use while blood dripped from his mouth and onto his uniform and Ed did his best to hold in his laughter at a guy who just tried to act tough not just a second ago and failed miserably.

"You should have known better than to mouthy on a horse" said one of the other squad members as everyone was placing their horses into the castle stable, she was maybe the Captain's height, had auburn hair, round brown eyes and a pale complexion, she stood over him while he continual placed a wet cloth onto his bite wound

"The rookies needed to know their place; first impressions are important" he responded "It's a shame you weren't there to see it; I practically had them shaking in their boots" he said boastfully

"Hah!" laughed Ed involuntarily, both Oluo and Petra turned to look at him; they saw Eren grimace and Alphonse elbow his brother in the ribs for his rudeness.

"If that anything to go by I think the only impression you left on them is how much of a fool you are, Oluo" she said

"Well then I'd say my assumption of those brats was quite accurate then." Oluo responded

"What happened to you?" she asked "you never use to talk this way before, this is just an observation but if you're trying to act like Captain Levi could you please stop; you two have as much in common as wood and rocks."

"Heh, if you want to have a go at me like a wife Petra than you'll just have to get to know me, properly, before having that honor." Oluo said in an overtly confident tone with a sly grin on his face

Petra sighed "I'd tell you to bite your tongue but you've already done that and by the looks of it you've been too carried away because the Captain chose you for his squad, next time I hope you bleed out."

"Now Petra, I don't think that's a good way to talk to your comrade in arms." Replied Oluo

As Ed began to unload boxes from the wagon he noticed two more people accompany Captain Levi into the stable area, they were both fairly tall, one had brown eyes and long blond hair done up in a ponytail like Ed and the other guy had short brown hair and a darker complexion "Hey, who are those guys?" asked Ed to Eren as they lifted up another box

"That's Eld Jinn and Gunther Schultz" responded Eren "Every one of them was handpicked by Captain Levi for the Special Operations Squad or "Levi squad" they were all picked because of accomplishments in the field, they're our new team mates and… they're also our wardens and executors."

"Place looks like a complete mess" commented Gunther

"It's been abandoned for years; the whole place has fallen into disrepair"

"Then it looks like we have a problem" remarked Levi from behind them "best get a broom and get to work."

Ed swept the stone floor while Alphonse polished the window sill of dust from one of the large rooms in this monstrously large castle; their first job as members of the Scout Regiment was to help clean this large castle for the rest of the day, Ed wanted to protest but was quickly dragged away by Alphonse before he could get to Captain Levi.

"Even in this world I'm still doing chores for people" groaned Ed as he swept the dust and dirt into a metal pan.

"It could be worse, brother." Replied Alphonse, cleaning the next window "at least we're not held captive by the Military Police."

"Guess you're right, Al" said Ed

"Hey boys" said Petra holding a broom, standing at the doorway "just finished checking up on Eren, wanted to see how you two were getting along" she said with a soft simile on her face

"We're doing great, thank you for asking." Replied Alphonse, smiling back

"Sorry for Oluo's little display back there, really don't know what's gotten into him." She said apologetically

"I don't mean to be rude, but for a guy in his forties he sure does act like a young guy with something to prove" said Alphonse innocently

"Oluo? He's not in his forties" said Petra confused "He's actually the youngest in the squad"

"What?" exclaimed both Ed and Alphonse in complete disbelief

"The wrinkles make him look older than he actually is." said Petra with an awkward smile

"Seems like he's trying to copy Captain Levi, by the way he dresses and talks" remarked Ed

"Yeah, almost everyone in the Scouts admires Captain Levi, though that being said I heard you two had a little confrontation after the court case, not a lot of people can say they tried to punch humanity's strongest soldier and live to tell about it and I'm sure even fewer can say they joined his squad right afterwards" Laughed Petra "Usually when people meet him for the first time they're disappointed by what they see; he's not the perfect hero of the Scout Regiment that everyone make him out to be, for one thing he's a lot shorter and not someone who's easily approachable; he can even be a bit temperamental at times. "

"Huh… you know I'd never expect someone like that to be so rigid in following the rules, he seems to work really well with Commander Erwin" remarked Alphonse

"Well its like I told Eren; Captain Levi use to be a big shot criminal back in the underground before Commander Erwin got him on our side." said Petra

"Erwin looks like someone who means serious business" added Ed as he looked back on his encounter with him back in the dungeon "reminds of another guy we know back on our world"

"Commander Erwin is a great leader; he took charge of the Scout Regiment after the fall of Wall Maria and came up with the scouting formation which reduced our causalities by about thirty percent and has a way of inspiring the soldiers around him; he's maybe one of the best Commanders the Scout Regiment ever had" said Petra "although deep down, Erwin can be a little weird."

* * *

"What does a nosy pepper do?" Erwin asked to the other squad leaders and Scouts at the meeting "It gets jalapeno business!" he finished with a playful smile on his face looking around the table for everyone's reactions.

Hange burst out laughing at Erwin's terrible joke "Good one, Erwin"

"Commander, please…" begged Moblit, a look of desperation in his eyes

"What's brown and sticky?" he asked "A stick!"

Mike groaned while he lay his forehead on the table, Petra sighed at the terrible joke while the rest of Levi squad either pinched the bridge of their noses or slapped themselves on the forehead and Levi held his head in his hands, internally screaming at the top of his lungs

"What's-"

"I swear to god Erwin, I will break both your fucking arms if you don't get on with this meeting." Threaten Levi

* * *

Ed and Alphonse stared at her blankly as she recounted the story "Yeah…" she finished

"Hey!" yelled a voice from behind them; they all looked to see it was Captain Levi "What's with all the chatter?"

They all tensed up and began to resume their chores; Levi then stepped into the room, knelt down onto the floor and swiped his index finger across one of the titles, he examined his finger and saw a thin layer of dust covering his fingerprint. "Edward, what's this?" asked Levi showing him his finger

"Uh… dust?" responded Ed confused staring at his finger

"Hmm… yes, it is…" replied Levi as he looked at his finger he then took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped off the thin layer of dust coating his finger, there were a few seconds of uncomfortable silence "Do the whole room over again."

* * *

At the military headquarters in Trost, Commander Erwin was drawing up the plans for the 57th expedition beyond the walls, a recon mission to track Titan movement in the east and also test the abilities of Eren Yeager and the Elric brothers, with squad Leader Mike Zacharias.

"We're sixty days out from a mission to monitor Titan movements and now you're saying that on top of the Elrics who'll have to be trained in ODM gear in amount of time it takes to learn the basics, we're also gonna have a batch of green recruits?"

"If any of them decide to join us, then yes." responded Erwin as he examined his long range scouting formation.

"Not to be cynic but don't you think this mission is a waste? Surely our efforts should be focused on improving the infrastructure of the road to Wall Maria and doesn't throwing them into the fray seem rash, honestly what are their odds?"

"Our custody of those three is conditional on the results of this mission, we currently have two tests to pass; one being that the Elrics can be trusted to serve in the military so showing them the supply path we laid down from Trost is out of the question for the brass and we also have to prove Eren is an asset to humanity, not a threat; the best way to accomplish this is for them to demonstrate their abilities in the field to our benefit, the last thing we want is for the military police to throw in their men or anyone else-"

"And you don't want to give me a straight answer…" responded Mike

Erwin turned to Mike and gave him a sly smile "Your nose is as sharp as ever? Not bad..." he commented

"Yeah, well not as sharp as yours on a good day." Replied Mike

"Trust me, you'll get the facts soon enough…"

* * *

It was eight o'clock in the evening if Ed's watch was anything to go by; the squad had just finished cleaning the rooms of the castle and were now sitting down in the castle's servants' mess hall drinking tea, he, Al and Eren had changed into their regular clothes, they sat in dim candle lights surrounded by darkness and empty chairs and tables.

"It's likely we'll be on standby for the next couple of days" said Eld "Though from what I've heard we're gearing up for a large scale expedition to track Titan movement in the east and to put you three abilities to the test on the field in about two months from now and on top of that they're also adding a bunch of graduates from the Cadet Crops into the mix."

"That can't be right" replied Gunther "the cadets have already been put through enough with the Titan Invasion at Trost, why'd subject them to more of this so quickly?"

"I'd assume the majority of them must have been terrified for their life." Commented Oluo in a dismissive manner

"Is that true Captain?" asked Petra with a look of concern on her face

"It's not my job to plan out mission strategy, that job falls to Erwin and if there's one thing we know for definite about him is that he keeps an eye on even the smallest bit of detail." Commented Levi

"That's the truth" replied Eld "Just when we thought the path to Wall Maria that so many people died for was lost forever when the entrance sealed, it turns out humanity has the solution to having the recovery route put into use and three new factors which tip the scales in our favor; our circumstances remain both altered and unaltered at the same time."

"Heh… well Alchemy all about balance." joked Ed as he took a sip of his tea

"So, you boys know how exactly your powers work?" asked Eld

Ed and Alphonse looked to Eren, letting him go first, being put on the spot Eren explained his ability the best he could "If I'm honest, I'm not too sure myself." He confessed staring at the table "I do know that the trigger seems to be hurting myself." He raised his hand up to his face, drawing attention to it.

"Alright then" replied Eld, he then looked to both Edward and Alphonse "What about you two?"

"Alchemy is something we've learnt back on our world, it's a science; the understanding, deconstruction and reconstruction of matter" explained Alphonse "It's like cooking, you'd need the right ingredients to use and how to use them."

"So anyone can do Alchemy then?" asked Gunther

"Well yes, but it's not easy; you'd need a vast knowledge of the different elements of the periodic table, their atomic structures, the flow and balance of kinetic energy which is within certain material" replied Alphonse "basically you'd need years worth of studying in subjects like chemistry and ancient alchemic theory."

"So what you're saying is that you'd need to be a genius in order to do alchemy" said Gunther

"Huh" laughed Oluo "so even if the Military Police got the information out of you they wouldn't have known how to use it anyway, thee incompetent fools"

"If what you boys do can be considered a kind of science then you best be prepared for when she comes." Said Levi as he took a sip of his tea

"She?" asked Ed, just then sound of someone slamming into the wooden door echoed across the mess hall, Petra left her seat and removed the lock; letting in the person from the other side of the door, it was Squad Leader Hange Zoe.

"Good evening team Levi!" she said in a upbeat tone, waving at them "Getting comfy in this castle?"

"You're too early…" remarked Levi in an almost exhausted tone

"Oh well…." Sang Hange in response

"Squad Leader Hange?" said Eren

"Hello boys, if you don't know by now my job is to spearhead the Scout Regiment's scientific research efforts, currently I'm conducting experiments on our two captured Titan specimens from Trost, but with the arrival of you boys and your amazing abilities there's even now more to research and study, I'd very much like your help" said Hange in a overtly friendly tone.

"Help with what?" asked Ed, a little bit confused about her statement "What can Al and I do to help with your Titan research, Eren seems like the perfect person."

"Nonsense!" yelled Hange with a crazed hungry look in her eyes "Oh I have plans for you boys, we're gonna make strides in scientific research like you've never seen!" she proclaimed, her hands making some weird twitching motion

"Sounds like a… plan" responded Alphonse with an uneasy smile while both Ed and Eren looked visibly uncomfortable.

"We uh… still need permission from a higher authority" Eren reminded her

She turned her head towards Levi "Levi!" she called "what's the schedule for tomorrow?"

"Elrics have the altitude test and Eren cleaning the weeds." Responded Levi

"Well then" she said as she grabbed Eren's hand "I'll just have to give you my complete and undivided attention tomorrow, we'll just have to put our focus into Titan experiments."

"Uh... ok…" responded Eren hesitantly "just to be sure, what do you mean by Titan experiments?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know too." Said Edward as he leaned forward, he was interested by Hange's research and curious about the Titans.

"Don't encourage her you idiots" said Oluo

"I see" said Hange as she looked at them like objections of her obsession "you boys possess a curious mind"

Not wanting to listen to Hange spiel on about the two Titans they captured at Trost, the rest of Levi squad left the mess hall for their sleeping quarters, Hange sat down on the empty seat left by Eld and turned to face the three of them, and she then became noticeably calmer and less intense.

"So boys… let's talk science."


	15. Chapter 15: Sharing information

**Chapter 15: Sharing information**

"Firstly let's discuss the captured Titans in Trost, as a scientist I first conduct the standard check lists off test we do on all captured Titans; first was an attempt at communicating with them, I ask them if they're in pain, if they have a name, how are they feeling etc." explained Hange "However, just as with previous subjects we could not communicate with them, instead any attempt I made to get closer to them resulted in their attempt to devour me."

"You should really put a safety line around them or something." Said Edward

"Oh we do, my assistant Moblit is always telling me 'Hange, stay behind the line' 'Hange stop being so reckless' 'Hange, you want to get your head chopped off?' she sighed "he means well"

The three of them stared at Hange looking perplexed at what she just said.

"Anyways, spending time around them in such close proximity helped me cope with the tediousness of day to day task, I had even named them; Sonny the four meter Titan and Bean the seven meter Titan; I had named after the leaders of tribe of cannibals famous in human history, the next experiment was sunlight deprivation where we placed them in large tents and cut off their assess to sunlight; you see Titans are most active in day than in the night, this is where the captured Titans showed individual differences; Sonny had showed signs of energy loss and as a result became sluggish, while Bean had far more lively for a straight three hours. The Titans don't require food or water, they have vocal cords but yet don't communicate and don't require the need to breathe and the only thing their bodies metabolize into energy is sunlight."

"Interesting" commented Alphonse "Have you tried cutting them off from sunlight completely?"

"I would, however if I did that then I'd run the risk of killing them." replied Hange "Then all our work would have been for naught." There was a few seconds of silence before she suddenly sprung from her chair standing and yelled "Physical pain was the next step, I just had to know whether they experienced pain like us! Those poor babies! I had to hurt them! Stuck a large sharp pole into them!"

Ed, Al and Eren were startled by her sudden outburst and tensed up as if ready for the moment she pounced of them. Hange then sat down again, recomposing herself

"I just had to find out whether they had other weaknesses beside the nape, but the experience was painful." She said this time in a calm and reserved manner "What I did notice was that while Sonny didn't seem to react to pain as Sonny did, instead he didn't show anything like a reaction to pain, all he can do is try to bite me."

"Squad Leader, with all due respect, how can you talk about the Titans this way?" asked Eren in annoyed confusion "They're humanity's greatest enemy; they've driven us to the brink of extinction and yet you act cheerful when talking about them and upset when they're hurt."

"You are right…" replied Hange "I seen many of my comrades meet their end in the jaws of a Titan, when I first became a Scout I fought them out of nothing but bitter hatred and then one day I kicked the head of a three meter Titan and I was shocked to feel that it was also as light as a feather." The three of them gasped at the revelation, Alphonse recalled the moment he saw one of those monsters crush one of the Cadets within its own hand "Something like that just seems almost impossible, a complete contradiction in the laws of reality itself and that's when I noticed something, despite the mass and density of their body a severed limb would be as light as tree bark, I've read that your Titan forms out of thin air, what I think is that there's a stark difference between what we can observe and what is really going on." She then poured three cups of tea and handed it to the three of them. "For years the foundation of our strategy has been based on nothing but hatred and spite for the enemy, I'm trying to look at this from another angle even if it ends up being useless…but still… nothing ventured, nothing gained."

"So, Elrics, I've heard mixed things about your Alchemic abilities; care to enlighten me?" asked Hange curiously "Full disclosure, Commander Erwin had briefed me on everything you boys spoke about in the conversation you had with him." She took out what looked to be a small note book and a pencil.

"Well Alchemy is the science of deconstructing and reconstructing matter into different shapes, sizes and material altogether" explained Alphonse "There's a rule in Alchemy called Equivalent Exchange; meaning that in order to create something than something else of equal value must be lost, you can't create or destroy the energy and matter of substances, and something can't just come from nothing there has to be a source and on top of that in order to transmute material into different others they'd need to have a similar atomic make-up and properties of the initial material, trying to bypass this rule can result in what's called a Rebound where the balance is thrown which can…end badly"

"Which is why when Eren managed to create a Titan out of thin air we were shocked, it went against the laws of conversion of mass" said Ed "It went against the very laws of science and Alchemy." _There was only one other thing that could produce anything from nothing…_

"Hmmm" said Hange interested "the Cadets we interviewed also touched on something like this; they said that you, Ed, threaten Eren and asked him whether he was a 'homunculus', Cadet Mina said the you've claimed to have fought them in your world, and Alphonse you mentioned something about a 'philosopher stone', care to elaborate on these?" she asked

"They're artificial humans with the ability to regenerate injuries and had their own unique abilities" stated Alphonse "forming their arm into a spear, forming a carbon-fiber layer around their body and an eye which allowed them to see a any weakness or opening against an opponent, to name a few, they're made through injecting a philosopher stone into them."

"Those guys had it in for humans on our world, even tried to kill off fifty million people overnight" said Ed, Hange and Eren gasped _fifty million people? that's more than fifty times the amount people that live in the Walls almost killed_ "We managed to stop them thankfully, it led to a whole regime change in the end.

"Wait!" yelled Eren "You're saying that there were people who were working with them to kill fifty million people?"

"Yeah, it was mostly the people at the top, the military elites and what not." replied Ed "Though the leader of the country at the time was a homunculus also, until he was killed during the coup."

"Damn... I couldn't imagine people doing something like that here, working with the Titans, we may have those Wall Cultists but even they aren't conspiring with the Titans." commented Eren

"And what about this 'philosopher stone'?" asked Hange "how can someone inject a stone into a person?"

"Its not exactly a stone, it can take different forms, it's just that a stone is the most common" said Alphonse "its the only thing that allows an alchemist to by-pass equivalent exchange."

"Something like that would in invaluable to you two" commented Hange " If we could get our hands on something like that then it could be the greatest solution to sealing up the breach." Both Ed and Alphonse shuddered at the thought of using a philosopher stone knowing the nature of it, Hange and Eren noticed their discomfort.

"Look..." said Ed "even if you had something like that Al and I wouldn't use it; the nature of that thing is just evil... believe me when I say that its more trouble and suffering than it's worth, only a monster would try to create one and that was just what the homunculus were"

"Alright then" replied Hange in an understanding tone "I won't force you to do anything involving Alchemy; you two are the experts on that field" she assured them "moving on, It said in Rico's report that you couldn't "transmute" the wall to seal the breach, you said something about understanding the atomic structure and yelled "What is this wall made out of" to Rico"

"Yeah, to perform Alchemy you need an understand of the atomic structure of the material your working so if I wanted to transmute this table into something else I'd need to know the atomic structure and elements like Hydrogen, Calcium, Oxygen etc that make up the wood."

"And you would need to know this at a moment's notice if you were to use Alchemy in a fight" said Eren "Sounds complicated."

"It is, but when you put in hours of study and work you get the hang of it eventually" said Alphonse "Though my brother and I have been doing this since we were eight years old."

"Interesting" remarked Hange "I'm assuming you two believed the wall to be made of bricks and cement and were using that knowledge to try and perform Alchemy on it."

"Yeah, that's right." Responded Ed, taking a sip of tea "Do you happen to know what the wall is made out of?" asked Ed

"No, just like you boys I'd assume the Wall was constructed out of normal building material, but this an interesting development, I'll need to get a hold of a sample of the wall from Trost and examine it, now back onto the topic; do other Alchemists specialise in certain fields or is it more general and what's with the clapping, do all Alchemists do it?"

"Well both" said Alphonse "You could get Alchemist who good at working with all kinds of material on top of having a specialty, like my brother and I; we work with almost just about anything but for a time we use to mainly work with metals, or you could get people who specialise in a certain fields, A guy we knew specialized in flame Alchemy and on the subject of clapping our hands to perform transmutation only a handful of people can do that, everyone else has to use something called a transmutation circle with different runes for different elements." He said, Hange gave him the note book and Alphonse drew an example of a transmutation circle "These allow the flow and release of energy to manipulate different substances."

"Fascinating…" said Hange as she examined the transmutation circle drawn by Alphonse

"So is that why they called you Fullmetal?" asked Eren "It wasn't because of your metal leg and arm before you got it back?"

"No, that was part of the reason why." Responded Ed "The other reason was because I was very hot headed at the time."

"At the time?" slyly questioned Alphonse, Ed shot an annoyed glare in his direction

"Edward, If you don't mind I'd like to examine your metal leg" asked Hange "my hope is that we'd be able to replicate it and produce our own version for soldiers who'd lost limbs to the Titans, now of course I won't take it apart completely, Moblit and I will examine a certain piece and only when we feel confident about our understanding of it will we move onto another piece and you'll need people who are familiar with your metal leg if you'd need it repaired; think of this as a zero-sum game"

Ed thought about this proposal for a second, he thought about how Winry would be angry and upset that someone else had been tinkering with the Automail she designed for him and if they were to do something wrong, then he'd be screwed, but she was right, there wasn't a single person on this earth who could work on his Automail and if the ODM gear was anything to go by they wouldn't be completely in the dark about handling complex machinery and if it went to producing some version of Automail in this world to help people than it seemed like a risk worth taking.

"Yeah sure, you can examine my Automail leg." Ed replied

"Wunderbar!" she exclaimed "I'll discuss a timetable with Levi on routine examinations; being able to examine tech like this could spark a technological revolution. Now one more thing I'd like to know; what is this "Truth" or God as you put it, Alphonse if you don't mind drawing an image of it" she handed Alphonse the book and pencil again

They were both silent for a few seconds "Honestly, everything we know about it we already told Commander Erwin, he regulates people's ability to perform Alchemy and punishes those who try to play God" Ed instinctively grips his Automail leg "we don't know if it created our world or this world but whatever it is, its powerful and one other thing is…It knows everything about anyone." Finished Ed as Alphonse handed her back the book, she looked at the page to see the outline of what looked like a child except the only detail was its huge grin standing next to a large double doors with what looked to be a tree on it.

Ed yawned, he took his pocket watch from his pocket and checked the time; it was twelve o'clock at night. "Hange, we'd love to continue talking but Al and I have a test with Captain Levi tomorrow so we'd better get some sleep."

"Squad Leader, I should leave too, we can talk more in the morning." Said Eren

"Sure thing boys" replied Hange with a smile "Ed and Alphonse, good luck with your altitude test tomorrow."

Ed, Alphonse and Eren left the mess hall leaving Hange alone, she turned back to her notebook, read over her notes and stared at the crudely drawn image of the Truth, even as a drawing there was something deeply unsettling about it.

 _Could this be it, the thing that we've been missing?_ Hange thought to herself _what are you?_

"Hey!" yelled Levi as he ripped the sheets from their beds "you two out of bed, put on your cloaks and head for the stable, now." Ed and Al jumped out of bed and quickly placed on their green cloaks, following Levi to the stables, there they found Eren, the rest of Levi squad, another person with the Scout Regiment symbol on their jacket and Hange who'd looked as if she had been shaken to her core.

"What going on-" asked Alphonse but was cut off by Levi

"Get on a horse, we're heading for Trost, someone's killed the captured Titans." They both gasped and quickly they mounted their horses and the group of them rode off south for Trost at full speed, it took maybe a few hours to reach the city inner gate "Hoods up, boys." Ordered Levi as they entered the city, Ed looked around it was clear that reconstruction was underway, but a lot of the damage and destruction that scarred the city still remained, they arrived at the scene; it was an enclosed area near the military HQ, the area was crowded with soldiers of the Garrison. Hange jumped off her horse, the other guy was quick to follow, Ed and Al assumed that must be Moblit, her assistant. Levi, his squad, Eren and the Elrics dismounted their horses and made their way to the enclosed area.

"You two stand at the entrance." Ordered Levi "Eren and the rest of you, you're with me." Both Edward and Alphonse stood just outside the entrance while the rest of them made their way through the crowd. They watched Hange through the gaps in the crowd; she fell down to her knees as if she been defeated and let out loud cries of anguish over the deaths of her captured Titans."

"No!" she cried "My poor babies!" Ed watched her, a bit perplexed at her reaction; he had known that the Titans were important to her for the research and that she may have had a kind of emotional bond to them, but this felt a bit over the top.

"Poor Hange…" said Alphonse empathetic about Hange's sadden state.

Ed kept his eye on Eren and Commander Erwin who looked to be discussing something with each other, Erwin bending down as if to whisper something to Eren. _What the hell are they talking about?_ Wondered Ed, Suddenly Erwin turned to face them and began to walk towards them with Captain Levi, catching both Ed and Alphonse's attention

"Commander Erwin…" said Alphonse as he clumsily saluted him

"Tell me Elrics" he said in a tone which was both hushed yet not lacking in authority "What do you see here? Who do you think the real enemy is?"

"The real enemy?" asked Edward confused and then he remembered; what the Truth said to them

 _Struggle against a powerful force they do not yet fully understand but who seeks to annihilate them_

"Before the Truth sent us here it told us, you were fighting an enemy do did not fully understand" said Ed "the real enemy isn't just the Titans outside these walls, is it?" asked Ed "Someone is working for them and I'm willing to bet they're like Eren."

There was a few seconds of intense silence and then Erwin gave a sly smiled to them "Whatever this Truth fellow is looks like it gave you a cryptic briefing, but you still manage to figure it out." His facial expression then became serious "Come, there is much to discuss." The group of four entered the Military HQ and walked up towards Erwin's office

"I want you both to know that once you step in, there is no going back, anything said here is between us, you understand?" both of them nodded in response, they entered into Erwin's office, Levi closed the door behind them and leaned against it, while Ed, Alphonse and Erwin sat at the desk

"We have reason to suspect there are enemy spies in the Southern division of the 104th Cadet corps, hiding in plain sight and we plan on finding out just who they are" said Erwin

"Do you have a list of possible suspects?" asked Alphonse

"No, not yet but I intent to narrow down the search using the Cadets ceremony tomorrow night and I know just how I'm going to do it; you see we've deduced that the enemy shifters are almost likely to be within the ranks of the southern division of the 104th Cadet Corps, the same one as Eren Yeager and the ones who were in Trost that day, once the Colossal Titan had struck the Armoured Titan should have attacked not long after that, instead it never showed up its as if something happened that caused them to break from their attack."

"Eren showing up..." said Alphonse, finishing Erwin's thought "When Eren revealed himself they must have made a change of plan."

"Exactly" said Erwin with a small smile on his face, he then took out a map of the Walls "The recon mission to track Titan movements in the east and detect a possible attack on Karanes, the next likely Titan target, is nothing more than a ruse the real purpose is to lure them into trap using Eren as bait." Both Ed and Alphonse gasped "This is where you boys will come in; it's been observed that using your alchemic abilities you are able to either incapacitate or kill Titans, I want you to incapacitate the enemy and from there the rest of us will capture the other shifter."

"If you don't mind me asking" said Ed "But if seems like you planned on us knowing the answer to that question, what if we didn't. What would you of done then?"

"I already had a plan in place before I'd asked you two that question; however since you did know the answer, my original plan has become one of other contingency plans, with you two we can now plan a scenario where we use your abilities to our advantage and lowers the risk in an already high risk gamble."

Ed and Alphonse both thought back to the different Cadets they met in Trost, they wondered whether they had already met the spies, talked to them, worse still if they were close to them.

"We'll help you capture the enemy spy." Said Ed

"Thank you, if we succeed it will bring us closer to defeating the Titans and one step closer to reclaiming Wall Maria."

 _And one step closer on the Truth making good on their deal_


	16. Chapter 16: Overcoming Fear

**Chapter 16: Overcoming Fear**

 _Damn it! I'm going to join the Scouts! Jean yelled as the tears fell from his eyes._

Armin, Connie and Annie awaited their turn to be inspected by the Military Police; yesterday night someone had killed the captured Titans and now the 104th Cadet Crops were being investigated for a possible suspect, all of this Just hours before they had to choose which branch of the Military they'd join and it seemed everyone, except Armin and Jean, were having second thoughts about joining the Scout Regiment; Connie was now contemplating whether he should join the Military Police, being in the top ten of their class meant they had options; like getting as far away from the Titans as possible. Annie had told them that she was going to join the Military Police to save herself and seemed to question Armin on whether he was willing to lay down his life, to Armin it seemed as though she wanted to talk him out of it.

"Seems like you care more than you let on, Annie" smiled Armin

"I don't, I just want to live" she said simply "the only person I'm looking out for-"

"Mina Carolina, trainee squad thirty four, sir!" Mina announced to the Military police

Annie looked at Mina; throughout the three years of Training Camp Annie had tried to be as distance as she could from everyone else, ultimately knowing that these were the people who she had placed in danger and who she might have to kill if she wanted to complete the mission. But Mina… not matter what Annie did, no matter how cold she was to her, Mina would always try to make the effort to talk to her, make the effort to involve her in other activities, make the effort to get to know her… make the effort to be her friend and in the end Annie considered her a friend.

Annie felt a wave of dread wash over her as the idea that she might have to kill Mina if she got in their way set in.

"Only looking out for who?" asked Armin, bring Annie out of her thoughts

"Never mind" she responded looking at the table "Just know this Armin, they will tell you to sacrifice yourself and die for their goals and you must be willing to say no… willing to put yourself first, don't resign yourself to being fodder for their ambitions." Armin listened carefully to Annie as she gave him her words of wisdom all the while staring at 'her' ODM gear.

The ceremony was held in a fenced off courtyard with a large grand looking stage at the end, Armin, Annie, Mina, Sasha and Connie leaned up against the wall of one the buildings around the courtyard, the sun was setting and with it the remaining time they had to make up their minds; Connie and Sasha were leaning towards joining the Military Police and Mina wasn't sure what to do.

"So Mina" said Armin "You still planning on joining the Scouts?"

"I… don't know" she confessed "I can't join the Garrison, not after Captain Weilman almost killed us; the thought of having to take orders from someone like him… but there's also the chance that we might be part of that expedition two months from now and I don't know if I can face the Titans again; I almost died if it wasn't for Alphonse and Ed saving me, but if what Commander Erwin said about Karanes being next… I don't know if I can live with myself if I just sat there on the walls while others go out to stop a Titan attack on my home district… I guess I'll find out what I want during the ceremony."

"Mina" said Annie, catching her attention "You should ask yourself, would you prefer to do something that is best for you or for others? How you answer that will is how you will choose between the Garrison and Scouts." Annie then shuffles closer to Mina "But in my opinion, you shouldn't place yourself in harm's way; you could get a position in the Garrison in Karanes that way you'll stay close to your family."

Mina gave Annie a soft small smile "Thanks for thee advice, Annie and thank you for caring" she tenderly took Annie's hand and held it softly as if to compensate for a hug. "I hope you do well in the Military Police and I know with your skill, you'll be a captain there in no time."

"Heard you killed a Titan" said Armin

"Yeah, it was only one though…" responded Mina "I only managed to kill it because it didn't notice me."

"Still, it's one more than me and Sasha, and we're meant to be top ten." Connie joked, trying to distract him from their impending choice.

Jean walked up to the group of four "Jean, you're really set on joining the Scouts?" asked Armin

Mina gasped in shock "You're joining the Scouts? I thought you always wanted to be a MP?"

"I did" he said simply "But things change, everything has changed."

"Aren't you scared?" asked Sasha

"Of course I'm afraid, but some things have to be done." He said slightly aggressively "Look I'm not going to pressure you guys into following me like a certain suicidal idiot; being asked to risk your life is something you can't take lightly."

"Eren's been a Scout for a while now..." observed Connie

"So have Ed and Alphonse and those two weren't even Cadets..." added Armin

"Cadets!" yelled one of the instructors "Form up, head to the platform, it's time to make your chose!"

"No one told me to risk my life and this isn't something you take lightly, if you're going to make a choice like this it has to be your decision one hundred percent, so believe me when I say that this decision is mine through and through." He finished

"When did Jean decide to join the Scouts?" asked Mina

"During the funeral pyre; you, Armin and Mikasa got sent to the trial the day we cleaned up Trost, he found Marco dead and then... he just decided he wanted to join the Scouts" Replied Connie, he thought back to that day, the smell of burning flesh and the sight of all his former comrades turning into ash still stuck with him.

"I'm…I'm sorry I missed it…" said Mina apologetically, she looked at the ground feeling guilty for missing the funeral of her friends. _Mylius, Nic, Thomas... Marco..._

"It wasn't your fault" comforted Connie

Evening had now fallen upon them when Erwin Smith took to the stage in front of the 104th Cadet Corps with the ambition of trying to convince them to join the Scout Regiment and join him on the frontlines of the war against the Titans. A line of torches lined up on both sides of the courtyard and the stage illuminated the area in a dim sunset glow.

"Good Evening" he said "I'm Erwin Smith, Commander of the Survey Corps or better known as the Scout Regiment, today you will have to choose which branch of the Military you wish to belong to. Let's cut to the chase, the Scouts need you; we need all the able bodies we can get. After the recent Titan attack on Trost you've all experienced firsthand the horrors of which the Titans are capable of and what you had faced is no different than what an average expedition is like for us, I'm sure that you are now aware of what your limitations are as well as your own fear of the Titans. Many good lives were lost at the battle, however the reclamation of Trost brought Humanity closer to victory than it had in the five years after Wall Maria fell and in the one hundred years since we were forced into these walls, by now you are all aware of the existence of Eren Yeager and the Elric brothers; It is through their combined efforts that the breach in Trost District has been sealed and it is my understanding that many of you here tonight because of their involvement in the battle. Even after being put through hell the three of them have joined our ranks and are determined to help end the Titan's reign of terror over Humanity but more than this, Eren Yeager has presented us with an opportunity to discover the truth of their origins; the answer to the Titans lies within his basement back in Shiganshina."

There was a collective gasp from the crowd and suddenly almost everyone erupted into whispers, Erwin stood silent for a few seconds to allow this revelation to sink in.

"If we can reach his basement, than I believe we can find the clues which can help us end a century of Titan domination over Humanity." He stated confidently.

"His basement?" questioned Reiner, Mina who was standing next to Annie looked over to him; both he and Bertholdt looked shocked

 _Why would he just announce something like that?_ Thought Armin _unless… he's planning something_

"However before we can reach his basement we must first retake Wall Maria; the Elrics have informed me that using their Alchemic abilities they can quickly construct a gate and entrance in Trost once more" Petra and Mike entered the stage and together held out a large map for all the Cadets to see "meaning that the path carved out by the Scout Regiment's battalions over the last five years is still going to be put into use to mobilize a larger force to retake Wall Maria." Mike and Petra then left the center of the stage, leaving Erwin alone to talk to the Cadets "Over the course of those five years the Scout Regiment has lost sixty percent of its soldiers in our efforts to lay out the ground work for the Wall recovery, their deaths were not in vain."

There were more gasps and chattering among the Cadets at the causality rate

"However there is another urgent matter to attend to; with the Titan invasion of Trost pushed back, we can suspect that the enemy may yet attack a closer district, we predict that Karanes will be the likely next place for the Titans to strike which is why in two months time we will launch a recon expedition from Karanes to monitor Titan movements in the area as well as prevent any possible attack, those who sign up will be expected to join the expedition and I predict that a third of you who do will die during the coming expedition and as time progresses most will have died in the expeditions to come, but those who survive will be the most capable and experienced soldiers alive and will no doubt play a role in the decisive battle to retake Wall Maria in the not so distant future." Erwin closed his eyes for a second and inhaled deeply "Now… the situation before us dyer and the road ahead will be fraught will difficulty and will require you to make great sacrifices which will all too likely include your very life. But there is hope; hope that retaking Wall Maria is now within our very grasps, Hope to end Titan domination over us and hope for Humanity to once more stand tall in this world… Those who are willing to put their lives on the line stay here but first ask yourself; are you willing to give your heart for that hope? Give your soul to the cause? Give up your life for Humanity?" he finished, becoming more intense at the last word.

The Cadets began to look at each other wearily, wondering whether they could really pay such a steep price.

"That is all, those wishing to join other regiments are dismissed." Erwin stated, his tone now far more calmer.

The other scouts looked at each other as the commander finished his speech; it wasn't an easy speech to listen to with all the hard truths which some of them might of liked if those weren't mentioned, but the part about hope for the future should surely reel in a good chunk of Cadets.

One by one the cadets began to leave the formation and make their way out of the courtyard; leaving to join the Garrison regiment, then it became groups of them; many of them couldn't stomach the idea of dying and that's what would likely happen if they were to join the Scouts. Mikasa and Armin both watched as everyone around them walked away, Connie and Sasha were frozen in place, fighting an internal war over what they wanted to do, Jean had one leg to the side and another planted into the very ground, it seemed as though he was now having second thoughts, Reiner and Bertholdt stood on the spot, Bertholdt turned his head to the side to see Annie walk away, Mina clenched her fist, her whole body tensed up as if fight the urge to walk away with Annie. As Annie walked away with the other cadets, she stopped and turned her head to catch Bertholdt looking at her, who then quickly looked away from her, and Mina still standing there on the spot, Annie let out a sigh and continued walking; when Mina was talking about which regiment to join it was obvious to Annie who'd she'd end up joining even if it wasn't for Mina.

Within a minute those who wanted to leave and join the Garrison, or in Annie's case the Military Police, were now gone, leaving the rest of the Cadets who wished to join the Scouts still in the courtyard. Erwin scanned the Cadets; their grim expression and the tear stained cheeks, no doubt they were terrified at the thought of dying, yet here they stood anyway in the face of seemingly difficult odds.

"I ask you; if you were ordered to die would you do it?" he asked simply

" **WE DON'T WANT TO DIE, SIR!** " yelled Jean

Erwin gave them a sly smile "Of course, let us hope that you don't then" he replied, his expression quickly changed becoming more stern "To you who stayed? You now proudly dawn the wings of freedom and I welcome you into our ranks! This is a genuine salute soldiers! Dedicate your heart!" he declared saluting them, slamming his clenched fist on the left side of his chest.

The rest of the Cadets followed along, giving a salute back to Erwin. "Yes sir!"

Armin looked around to see who was left, to his surprise he saw most of his friends remaining; he'd thought they'd join the Military Police along with Annie. "Ev- everyone…" he said weakly

Jean looked to the ground feeling like a complete fool "Joined the Scouts… I'm a real fucking idiot…" he muttered

"I hate this" muttered Sasha as a seemingly never ending stream tears ran down her cheeks. "I'm scared…I just want to go back to my village"

Connie softly laughed to himself at his own bravery and stupidity "I just don't give a fuck anymore…" as cold sweat ran down his forehead

Reiner stood in his place with a fierce look of determination on his face, while Bertholdt still kept looking over his shoulder at Annie who had left already.

Krista stood there shaking, struggling to stop herself from breaking down on the spot, like Sasha she too was crying. "If you're gonna keep crying than don't stay." said Ymir who was standing next to her.

Mina stood her ground against her fear in silence, still tensing up to stop herself from shaking, her eyes shut tightly as she listened to others weep and the Commander speak.

"I see forty three members of the 104th Scout Regiment who have given the salute" said Erwin "You've stood against your fears and for that each one of you have earned nothing less than my admiration."


	17. Chapter 17: Learning

**Chapter 17: Learning**

"Alright, Elrics" said Levi handing them a drawing of a large contraptions with details of the inner mechanism, it looked to be made up of three slanted pillars with long wires attached to it that can be pulled up by a crank "Think you can make this?" asked Levi as he placed the wires on the ground.

"Yeah I can do it." Replied Ed, he, Alphonse, Levi and Eren were in an open space just outside the castle, Ed quickly studied the drawing and details, he clapped his hands together and placed them on the ground transmuting the large contraption as shown in the drawing before them.

"Huh… guess that saves us a trip to the training corps ground" remarked Levi, a little surprised that it worked "Alright Edward you're up first, attach the wires to the latches on your belt, the aim here is to stay upright in the air for at least ten seconds, if you boys master this than we move on to the second part of the training, if not then you're fucked and that means in extension we're fucked, so don't fuck this up, that's an order"

"Have a loose stance, but balanced" Eren advised "But also make sure your equipment isn't broken or you'll just lose balance and hit your head." He said rubbing his head as the painful memories of training camp returned to him.

"Alright… let's do this" said Ed, Levi then began to turn the wheel which pulled Ed into the air. _Balance… it's all about balance…_ once he was lifted off the ground he began to wobble as he shifted his weight around, however he quickly managed to gain his composure; spreading his legs and arms to his side, he was intensely focused on every movement of the swing, counteracting any sharp movement in any direction, but neither Ed nor Alphonse were strangers to being suspended from the ground; the fighting style they were taught had incorporated punches and kicks in the mid air.

"Three…two…one…" counted Levi "Alright you passed" he then turned the wheel and lowered Ed to the ground

"Yeah!" proclaimed Ed, launching his fists into the air

"Way to go brother" congratulated Alphonse

"Alright, Ed!" cheered Eren

"Hey" interrupted Levi "Celebrate when you can work the ODM gear, Alphonse you're up next."

"Uh… what's the point of this again?" asked Alphonse as he stood on a stone platform with his ODM gear attached to him facing a large drop off the highest tower in the castle, his belt attached to a bungee cord which was very tightly tied to holes in the stone platform. At first he and Ed thought that it must have been time for them to try out the real thing, instead it looked as though there was more training to go through.

"Simple, ODM gear requires it's users to be able to keep calm under pressure while in the air, this is so you can get use to falling and being in the air at great heights, simulating what happens on a daily basis for ODM users" Explained Levi, standing behind Alphonse.

"Oh…ok…" said Alphonse as he looked down nervously "Just give me a secon-" he felt the hard shove on his back as Levi kicked him off the platform "Wooooahhhahhhhh!"

"Alright, pull him back up." Said Levi to Eld and Gunther, they then pulled at the wire, slowly dragging Alphonse up onto the platform, he grabbed the edge and pulled himself up, crawling onto platform on all fours, breathing frantically he then slowly go up to his feet to face Levi "Again" said Levi as he kicked Alphonse off the Platform a second time. After the fourth time, Alphonse then quickly got onto his feet on the platform and braced himself for being kicked off again. "You're done, Alphonse" said Levi

"Really?" said Alphonse, pleased that it was over

"No." responded Levi as he kicked Alphonse off the edge for a fifth time, only this time Alphonse was pretty much use to the feeling of falling, he didn't make a sound during his descent.

"Now you're done!" yelled Levi

"Before I teach you how to operate the ODM gear you're gonna learn how to maintain your gear." said Levi holding up a piece of the ODM gear from the table in front of him it looked like a small metal wine barrel and had a small exhaust pipe "This is a vertical manoeuvring device that is attached to the metal plates just above your asses and is connected to the belt with the hooks" He then picked up the handle "this is the operating device, you point them in the direction you want to fire the steel wire hooks, these get stored in the pockets just below your smelly armpits" He lowered the handle to the table and picked up the large metal rectangle container with the gas canister attached to it "this is your scarab with a gas canister on top, you hold your blades in here, you can hold four in each." He then lowered the scarab onto the table and picked up a one of the large blades "this is a flesh pairing sword; attach them to the operating device use them to slice the nape of the Titan." He then placed the blade down and picked up a book "And this is a manual on how to disassemble and reassemble your ODM gear along with instructions for maintenance, you are to learn your gear inside and out for the actual training in over a week's time, if you don't then you better hope an equipment failure is your cause of death because if I find out it going to be a lot more painful." Levi then left the room leaving Ed and Al alone to figure out the ODM gear for themselves.

"Ok… so this goes here…" said Ed as he tried to both read his manual and put the pieces of his ODM gear together, Alphonse was busy reading the book before he started to put the pieces together, quietly mumbling to himself as he read the instructions

Ed sighed "If only Winry was here…" he whispered to himself "she would have put this together with her eyes closed."

"Looks like you two are having some trouble" said Petra as she walked into the room with her usual soft simile "Don't worry I remember When I did this before, it wasn't easy to understand for me at first, but once you get the hang of it it's a bit like having another lim-" she stopped herself, quickly remembering that Ed had a metal left leg "You know what, I'll help you guys."

"Thank you, Petra" said Alphonse as he put down the manual

"Yeah, we really appreciate it." Replied Ed smiling as put the pieces down on the table

"Take this and sit down" Levi ordered as he handed them both a brown folder and pointed them towards a desk. As both Edward and Alphonse sat down at the table, they watched as Hange enthusiastically directed Moblit who was busy sketching an image onto the large black board in front of them. Levi moved off to the side and observed as he sat down onto a wooden crate nearby.

"Perfect Moblit" Hange complemented as she gave her assistant a thumbs up, she turned around to face Edward and Alphonse with a beaming smile. "Hello Elrics." She greeted them. "I know you're probably wondering why you aren't doing more ODM gear training but I've discussed with Levi and we both agreed to give you a proper lesson on the titans, specifically the colossal and the armoured titans."

Both Hange and Moblit moved away from the centre of the board to revel a masterfully drawn image of a two titans and their scale; one towering over the other… but what disturbed both Ed and Alphonse was that the image looked like a human without any skin. The other beside it was about the same height as other titans, fifteen meters, but drawn more bulky like someone wearing padded armour.

"We've heard of those two." Ed commented "That twitchy officer who almost killed us mentioned about how the armoured titan might attack."

"The colossal titan is the reason the gate to Shiganshina district was breached and in the chaos of the evacuation the armoured titan must have entered through and rammed himself through the gates of Wall Maria." Hange explained. "Two large gates which no regular titan could hope to pass through."

"It's been theorised that should the colossal titan appear then the armoured titan will be nearby." Moblit added "It's entirely like a coordinated attack."

"But wouldn't that mean if we capture any of the enemy shifters spies then they'll be others nearby to assist?" Alphonse inquired.

"That might be the case and is why we're preparing you." Levi added as he sat off the side watching "The road to taking back Shiganshina will mean having to go through them and taking those ugly bastards on like other titans won't be an option."

"Exactly, their intelligence and unique traits will prove to be difficult to conquer." Hange stated "Firstly the armoured titan; witness testimony states that the armour is indestructible as cannon fire failure to breakthrough and that will mean certainly mean our blades will be useless against it and whether Eren's titan will be enough to take on the armoured titan and win is yet to be tested."

"And on the colossal titan, its estimated to be around sixty meters in height, that four times larger than the tallest titan and ten meters taller than the walls itself." Moblit explained. "According to a report by Eren Yeager, another feature is its ability to emit torrents of steam which kept him at bay from landing a fatal blow against the titan."

Alphonse listened anxiously, an uncomfortable feeling troubling him, to the information. Ed grimaced slightly as began to imagine the haunting image of a skinless faced giant lifting its head over those walls and looking down on everyone.

"Hey, you two" called out Levi "think you can make something like this?" showing him a drawing of what looked to be a the layout of a gymnastic obstacle course which consisted of a few slanted side steps, some river rocks steps, a single barrier, a few hurdles and a balance beam at the end.

"Sure thing" replied Alphonse, standing on an open field about a mile away from the castle with himself, Ed, Levi and Oluo.

It took Ed and Al a few minutes to set up the entire obstacle course, it quickly became apparent to Levi that Alchemy could used to cut corners and save hours of time and resources; so he was going to make the most of their abilities to his advantage. Despite his now gradually diminishing suspicions of the two he was curious to see more of its use, especially how it would help save lives similar to the battle in Trost.

Once the obstacle course was completed, Levi then began to explain the next part of ODM gear training "Alright, this next part is about the ability to be agile in your movements with the ODM gear attached to you," said Levi "Now reports say that the two are pretty agile yourselves so the good news is that we won't have to go through any tests of speed or strength and get straight onto the course itself, Oluo here is going to demonstrate it first." He then turned to look at Oluo.

"With pleasure" remarked Oluo "I'll show you two how it's done." With the ODM gear attached to his waist he took his place at the start of the course

"Ok" said Levi "In three…two…one…"

Oluo sprinted towards the first obstacle; he was breezing through it at first, trying to show off his years of experience "Pay close attention kiddos, you're watching a master at wor-" he then bit his tongue as he leapt over the third hurdle, the sudden pain and shock sent him crashing into the fourth hurdle

Levi sighed to himself and pinched the bridge of his nose in disappointment "Tch, Idiot…" he muttered under his breath "Alphonse tend to Oluo, Ed you're up first." Ed attached his ODM gear onto himself while trying to hold back laughter he felt eat away at him as Alphonse dragged Oluo off the course while covering Oluo mouth with a piece of cloth as not to let the blood stain his uniform.

"Alright, try not to make the same mistake he did, we'll keep going through this until you two feel comfortable carrying the gear. " remarked Levi as Ed took up his place at the start of the obstacle course "in three…two…one…"

"Hey Hange" said Ed as he walked into the room, Hange was laying out a bed for Ed to lay on for the examination of his Automail leg, she had told Ed that they'd do three examinations per week after bugging Levi enough times to get him to agree to a timetable, it was the second one this week and the eighth examination in total.

"Hello again Ed" said Hange "you know the drill, roll up your trouser leg and lie down, today we're going to have a look at the different wiring."

"Moblit not here today?" asked Ed as he lay down on the bed.

"No, not today sadly" replied Hange as she was getting out her tools, note pad and pencil "He's extremely hung-over after yesterday, don't know why he's always constantly drinking..."

"Oh, so did you get a hold of the chunk of wall yet?" asked Ed, almost every time he came to these examinations he asked Hange about it, the mystery of what those walls were made of still puzzled him.

"No but I did find out where those fragments are being held." Hange replied "I had some people ask around and found out those fragments are being held by the Wall cultists, turns out they're moving crates of the stuff to the capital." Hange removed the metal plating at the front of the leg and began to gently poke and examine the different wires of the automail. "What kind of metal is in the inside of this wiring?"

"I think its copper." Ed replied.

"Excellent, anyway I went up to their church in Hermina where they're currently being held and asked the Minister if I can examine them." said Hange as she began take note of the wire structure within the Automail "Needless to say I got an earful from him," a devious smile then formed on her face "I was however able to snag a small piece when they weren't looking; they were just there in a box in the middle of the church, just out in the open what was I suppose to do?"

"Have you found out anything about it" asked Ed

"Placing it under that special microscope I'd say the texture and composition of it is quite unique, I've hardly ever seen anything like it before, it's definitely not bricks and cement that's for sure, and it's more similar to a crystal if anything."

"A crystal?" questioned Ed

"To be more specific its atomic structure is similar to a diamond, the strongest material on earth but its atoms are far more condensed making it much harder than a diamond, it would explain why the Colossal Titan only ever attacks the gate; this material must be close to impenetrable." Observed Hange

Ed thought on this, it would make sense, walls like these would be almost impossible to maintain and it would have been only a matter of time before the walls began to break down, but being made out of a crystal with similar properties to diamonds would make the wall not only impenetrable but also long lasting for perhaps millions of years. This raised the question; where the hell did they get this kind of material and in such large quantities to build thousands of miles of walls around themselves, it was just impossible but then again after everything they've seen they couldn't discount anything; it felt as though he was only scratching the surface of this mystery, they'd need to go to the wall itself.

"Hange is it possible for Al and I to borrow that fragment for our own research; learning about the crystal and its composition and structure would give us an understanding of it and allow us to perform Alchemy on the material which could come in handy for the future." Explained Ed "Also I'd-" he was then cut off my Hange

"Say no more Ed" she replied "You're not the only one suspecting that there's something strange going on, if you boys can learn anything about this fragment then maybe we can use your Alchemy on the wall; it could help in this investigation and I better inform Levi and Commander Erwin of this; in case we get into trouble and need someone to bail us out and I'm sure Commander Erwin would like to get to the bottom of this too, you two are in the inner circle now." she said smiling "now can you please move your toes." Ed complied and began to move his toes in his Automail leg "So these wires must act as substitute nerves, which must mean their connected to the actual nerves in your body" she observed scribbling it down onto a notebook."

Today was the day. The day they'd actually get to use the ODM gear for real: they were going to try using it first to traverse through the forest nearby the castle, Eren wanted to be there with them to watch and show off his own skill, but Hange was carrying out an experiment on him, something about putting him in a well nearby…

"Alright you two, today's the day" said Levi "How you do will decide how fucked you are on the expedition in a month's time; succeed then you're only slightly fucked, fail and you're really fucked." He then took out the handles of his own ODM gear "Now follow my lead" he then fired the steel wire hooks onto nearby trees and pulled himself upwards onto the branches. Ed and Al looked at each other; Ed shrugged his shoulders and fired the cables from his gear onto other nearby trees, he lost his composure for a second while being pulled forward by the cables and accelerated forward by the gas, the air quickly blowing past his face, but he was able to stick the landing on the nearby branch, Alphonse quickly followed suit, he was a bit wobbly in the air but was able to able to land on the other branch successful.

"Not bad for your first time" remarked Levi slightly impressed, he then pointed towards a large tree with a wooden balcony around its truck with Eld standing there to evaluate their performance with Levi "Alright that's the objective, try to reach that tree and not crash your big heads onto any of the branches, alright now one at a time; I'll go first." He then fired the cables and reeled himself forward, propelling himself forward into the air every now and then until he reached the platform, sticking a graceful landing.

"You first brother" said Alphonse

Ed pressed the pulled the triggers on his handles, this time he braced himself for the moment he was pulled forward by the steel wires, similar to performing Alchemy, ODM gear required him to stay focused one hundred percent of the time and concentrate on doing ten things at once; firing the steel wires, using the gas to accelerate yourself, detaching the hooks and reeling them back, soar through the air for a few seconds using the momentum and then repeat the process, at some point they'd also have to incorporate killing Titans into this. Ed mainly fired the steel wires and reeled himself forward until the final stretch when he propelled himself though the air and landed on the wooden balcony, his boot skidding across the surface as he landed.

"Not bad…" said Levi

"A little shaky during the parts when you were in mid-air, but overall a good performance for your first time." Added Eld

"Thanks" replied Ed

"Alphonse!" shouted Levi "You're up next!"

Alphonse fired the steel cables from his gear on the nearby trees, using the forward momentum he soared though the air for longer than Ed before firing his cables again and repeating the process, he reeled himself forward to the large tree and landed steadily onto the balcony.

"Pretty good" remarked Levi

"Good at keeping for composure while in the air and using the momentum to carry you forward, but when reeling yourself forward your posture could do with some work." Added Eld

"So boys, overall I'd say you did well" said Levi "Obviously there's room for improvement but you should be proud of yourselves, usually people don't get the hang of this on the first time, they usually end up splattered onto a tree, I'll write the progress report to Erwin and tell hi-" he was then interrupted by the sound of a lighting strike, catching everyone's attention

"That must be Eren" said Alphonse

"Probably nothing to worr-" said Levi, out of the corner of his eye he picked up what looked to be red flare passed the branches and leaves "Something's happened, we have to go, now" he ordered, leaping off the wooden platform, Eld, Ed and Alphonse following him.


	18. Chapter 18: Team work

**Chapter 18: Team work**

Levi, Eld, Ed and Alphonse quickly made their way out of the forest and towards the location of the red flare; within their view they caught sight of a large mass of smoke and a group of people surrounding it, once they reached the edge of the forest they swung down onto the ground and ran towards the smokes and the crowd of people circling around. They passed through the crowd of Scouts and saw Eren struggling to pull his arm out of a large skinless arm and Hange and Moblit, who was holding a smoking pistol in his hands, standing in between him and the rest of Levi squad, whose blades were drawn, looking ready to strike Eren down.

"Look… everyone just stay calm… there's no need to do anything rash." Said Hange as she stuck her hands out in front of them.

Eren stared into the faces of Petra, Gunther and Oluo, they all looked as though they wanted to kill him; there was nothing but rage in their eyes as their grip of the handles of their blades tighten.

"Like you're one to talk, Hange" replied Oluo, he sounded furious

"Hange, Moblit back away!" yelled Petra

"You better start talking now Eren!" ordered Gunther "Prove to us you aren't the enemy!"

"What the hell happened here?" said Eld to himself, stunned as he walked up to his squad members

"Hange" Levi called out "what happened?" as he, Ed and Alphonse quickly walked to towards her, also putting himself between Eren and his squad, before Hange could answer Eren began pleading to the Captain, catching his attention.

"Please sir!" he yelled "I didn't mean to transform, I don't know why it did it!" Levi looked at Eren, the sheer look of panic and fear on his face, in his gut he could tell Eren was telling the truth at this.

"Eren… its ok... I believe you." Reassured Levi, his tone of voice still both calm and intimidating

"Eren!" yelled Ed as he looked at him "Don't worry, we'll get to down from there!"

"You boys stay back too!" ordered Petra "Captain, you need to be at a safe distance, it's dangerous!"

Ed and Alphonse didn't listen, instead they tried to climb the large arm but as soon as the palms of their hands made contact with the skinless muscle the immense heat from the body burnt them; it felt as though they'd placed their hands on a burning stove, they quickly moved back waving their hands around trying to cool them off.

"Aren't you boys listening?" yelled Oluo "Stay back!"

"Look everyone just calm down." Said Levi "We'll get an explanation, but I need you to just calm down."

"You better start talking now if you want to keep on living!" threatened Gunther walking forward

"You so much as twitch and I'll cut your head off!" threaten Oluo as he took a few steps closer

Suddenly the ground beneath them shook and elevated slightly, causing the three of them to stumble backwards; They regained their composure to see Ed with his hands in the grass "Stay the hell back." He said in a threatening tone, standing his ground. Alphonse reached out and grabbed onto Eren, using him to climb up the large arm.

"C'mon pull!" he instructed to Eren as he stood behind him, his boots firmly planted in the exposed muscle and his hands wrapped tightly around Eren's wrists.

"You could be helping the enemy!" yelled Gunther

"I'm helping our friend" retorted Ed "Now back the hell off and calm down."

With the help of Alphonse, Eren was able to rip himself from the large clump of flesh, they crashed onto the ground "Ugh!" they both exclaimed, and the Titan hand started to dissolve in a thick cloud of smoke, no longer being attached to Eren. Levi then walked up to Eren as Ed was helping both him and Alphonse onto their feet. "How do you feel?" he asked

"Not...Not so good sir…" responded Eren as he looked at the dissolving Titan carcass and back to his now perfectly healed hand.

"Huh…" said Hange holding a metal spoon in her hand "well this is strange."

* * *

Night had fallen over the castle, Levi squad Ed and Alphonse waited inside the mess hall while Levi went to have a talk with Eren in the basement and Hange and Moblit went to explain to their superiors about the incident.

"So tell me if I'm missing anything" said Eld "Eren failed his experiment in the well and when you guys pulled him up to take a break he suddenly transformed his arm?"

"Yeah, that's basically what happened." said Gunther "we were right next to him while it happened, took us all by complete surprise."

"Still, it was uncalled for what you did back there, threatening to kill him when he was just as shocked as you guys." Said Ed

"What the hell do you know? you little runt." Replied Oluo dismissively

"What the hell did you just say?" responded Ed angrily leaning forward in his chair

"Watch your tone, boy" Oluo replied also leaning forward "I've killed thirty nine Titans, so you better learn some respect." A sly grin began to form on Edward's mouth.

"I've probably killed close to half that number in just one day" taunted Ed, he then felt a hand grip his shoulder from behind and pull him back onto his chair; he looked up to see Alphonse standing behind him giving him a disapproving look.

"Enough… Ed" said Alphonse

Eld walked over to the end of the table, where the two of them were sitting, and leaned forward onto it; separating the two "That enough, both of you" he turned his head to face Ed "Look Ed, when you're out on the field you have to be ready for anything; every time we go on an expedition we always run the risk of dying out there that's why we have to be quick in both our thinking and our reactions, I doubt they harbor a grudge against Eren and truth be told if I was there too instead of with you guys I would have reacted the same way as them."

Ed slumped into his chair and let out a sigh "Alright, I'm sorry I acted out."

"It's alright." Replied Gunther, just then the main door opened and in walked both Hange and Moblit, back from their meeting with the brass, Hange walked over to the group while Moblit walked to the door to the basement to inform Levi and Eren of their return, the group waited for Levi and Eren appearance before they could beginning discussing today's event's properly.

"What took you so long?" asked Levi to Hange "What'd you stop to take a shit or something?"

"Well having tense meetings with the brass can scare the feces from one's body" remarked Hange "Anyway I'll like to draw everyone's attention to this" she then placed something wrapped in a white cloth on the table and revealed it to everyone

"A tea-spoon?" asked Eren perplexed

"That's correct" said Hange "Your Titan form that had erupted into being was holding this spoon, between the index finger and thumb to be specific, and an even stranger thing is that it didn't lose its shape despite the immense heat you were giving off, is there anything you'd like to add."

"Well… I… I was bending over to pick the spoon, I was out of reach and began stretching out to reach it… and that's when I transformed."

"Hmm…. Interesting." Said Hange "I think I know why you couldn't transform in the well; "Kill the Titans" "block a cannonball" "Lift the rock" when you transformed you seemed to have a clear goal in mind, perhaps harming yourself is only a part of the reason you can transform, but the whole reason, it seems you need a clear goal in mind before taking damage to transform."

Ed and Alphonse were completely stunned at what they were hearing; Eren was able to create matter from thin air by self-inflicted damage and sheer will, this went against everything they were taught and raised to believe about the laws of Alchemy and science. Tens, if not, hundreds of questions needed to be answered; hundreds of years of scientific and Alchemic research was being torn to shreds as they were looking at the greatest exception to the rule. Eren was just as stunned as them.

"I…I… transformed… just to pick up a spoon." He stuttered

"So… From my understanding, you didn't mean to transform on purpose" said Gunther

"No, sir…" replied Eren

Gunther took a sharp intake of breath and sighed, he then looked towards Oluo and then Petra, both of them nodded to Gunther as if signalling something, the three of them slightly clenched their hands into a fist, raised it to their mouth and bit down hard.

"What the?" exclaimed Hange, shocked while Levi watched with a stone faced expression.

"Hey, what are you doing?" said Eren, perplexed by their actions while Ed and Al slightly cringed when they saw blood trickle from their mouths.

"I bet that must hurt like hell" said Eld; secretly glad he accompanied Levi to oversee the Elrics training today else he might have been in the same situation as them.

"It does" replied Gunther "Look Eren, we made a judgement call and we were wrong, seems as though what Ed said was right." Ed owns mouth formed into a sly smile at Gunther's statement "Consider this our way of apologizing, that is if you can forgive us."

"Remeber, this doesn't change anything" said Oluo "We're still going to keep you in check" he then turned to face Ed "And don't you get cocky, you little brat."

"Who you calling little?" Questioned Ed, angrily "You're only a few centimetres taller than me."

"Eren… we were scared" said Petra, remorsefully "It's no excuse and you must be disappointed in us for what happened and you have every right to be, but… we can't survive if we don't have faith in each other, we act as a group and I hope that you can count on us."

* * *

It was a long journey to the Cadet Crops training grounds; Erwin had gotten permission by Keith Shadis to use the Titan dummies for Ed and Alphonse final test with the ODM gear; they were to be put into a mock battle, the objective was to hunt down as many Titans as they could and sufficiently kill them. They were also to be assessed on their skill using the ODM gear, their situational awareness and team work. Levi, Ed and Alphonse sat on the wagon to their destination, both of them looking back on their notes for last minute revision.

"Ten centimeters across and one meter lengthwise, that's the area of their weakness." Said Ed

"I'm a bit nervous, brother" laughed Alphonse lightly

"Me too, Al" replied Ed "But we'll get past it, I know we can."

"Hey, you two" interrupted Levi "we're here, the Cadet forest training grounds, chief instructor Keith Shadis is going to be accompanying us as well as some of the cadets, so I want you on your best behavior."

"Yes, sir." Said Alphonse

As they left the wagon they were greeted by a towering bald individual with dark circles around his brown eyes, he looked to be maybe in his late forties, they didn't really know, with those wrinkles on his forehead.

"Elrics, meet Cadet Instructor and former Commander of the Scout Regiment; Keith Shadis" introduced Levi

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, you two have quite the reputation" he said, his voice sounding strict and intimidating "From what I heard you boys are skilled and intelligent but can be a loose cannon at times; shame you weren't a part of the Cadet Crops before you became Scouts, I would have been able to rectify that kind of behavior."

Ed and Alphonse looked at the man, unsure how to respond to what he said

"Heh…" said Keith "C'mon, I'll show you to your starting points

They arrived outside the edge of a forest near the training camp, Ed and Alphonse had now attached the blades from their scarab onto their handles; ready to the go ahead

"This is a combat simulation" said Levi "There are Titans shattered across the forest of an area within three miles, your objective is to dispatch the Titans; your skill with the ODM gear, your effectiveness on how to take out the Titans as well as your overall team work will be assessed by the examiners and this will go straight to me which I'll have to report back to Erwin, so try not mess this up."

"Yes, sir." Replied Alphonse

"Don't worry, we've got this." Replied Ed with a cocky smile on his face

Suddenly the sound of a pistol when off nearby

"That's the signal." yelled Levi "Now go!"

Ed and Alphonse fired the steel cables from their ODM gear and reeled themselves forward onto the trees

"I'll keep to the right, you're to the left Al, seven meter spread" said Ed

"Alright" replied Alphonse "keep your eyes open in case any of them are hiding behind the trees"

They fired off their cables again and were now soaring past the trees, keeping their eyes out for any of the dummy Titans being operated by different instructors, Ed spotted one in front of him, exposing itself from behind the trees "Found one!" he yelled firing his cables onto the branch slightly above it he reeled himself forward towards the target, angling his blades for a deep cut to the foam around the dummy Titan's neck, zooming overhead of the Titan he sliced a chunk out of the dummy Titan's nape.

Ed turned around, he was now ahead of Alphonse, he spotted a Titan hiding behind the tree, and it looked as though it was going to swing in front of Alphonse's path

"Al!" Ed yelled "One behind the tree to your left" as soon as he said that did the dummy titan swing into the direction of Alphonse path. Reacting quickly Alphonse fired his cables onto two nearby trees and quickly reeled himself upwards in a almost straight line, narrowly avoiding crashing into the dummy Titan, he spun around in the air and fired his cables into the nape just below him and reeled himself downwards to strike, he detached his cables and swung his blades and parted the foam neck in the middle, leaving a large cut and quickly fired them again to a nearby tree, before he hit the ground and reeled himself onto one of branches close by.

"Alright Al!" yelled Ed, cheering on his little brother.

* * *

Erwin sat behind his desk, finalizing the plans for the scouting expedition in a bit over a week's time when his attention was caught by someone opening his office door; it was Levi, here with the report on the Elric's progress with their ODM training, hopefully it was good news and that the Elrics had shown themselves to be proficient with the gear, else he would have to divert some Scouts to act as their protection.

"Got the progress report" said Levi handing him a folder full of papers, Erwin opened the folder and skim read though the pages "All in all I'd say those two are as ready as they can be and be relied upon in the field to not end up as the meal of the day and maybe with a little experience they might turn out to be something almost resembling skilled, that being said Keith made note specifically about their coordination; said they worked well as a unit."

Erwin smiled "Great work, perhaps when this is all over you could move into being a training instructor" he joked

"Tch, not a chance in hell" responded Levi rolling his eyes "Taking care of a bunch of brats is no picnic can't imagine doing it for a living, so how'd the graduations go?"

"Better than expected" Replied Erwin "we averaged around forty new members per division, I suspect it has something to do with Cadet Yeager and the Elrics being inducted into our ranks, we'll only have to take some of them with us for the coming expedition, that being said though we'll mostly be using recruits from the southern 104th division."

"So I'm assuming you've already finalized the plans?" Asked Levi

"Yes, however it had occurred to me that whoever is after Eren Yeager will also be likely after the Elrics as well and we need them for when we capture the enemy shifter." He then pointed into the center of the formation "so I've decided to place them here, they'll ride in one of the wagons to the forest of giants."

"And we'll ride into the trap you'll have waiting for the enemy shifter?" asked Levi

"Correct." Answered Erwin "We'll have false information about them be divulged to the cadets joining us; Eren, Edward and Alphonse being part of either of the center-guards; which ever side gets attacked then we'll be able to narrow down the search for the other enemy shifters, of course however Eren will be with you in the center-rear guard and the Elrics will be hidden in the wagons among the wagon support teams, inform them of this and the reason why however don't inform Eren of this."

"Alright" replied Levi

"Also another thing" said Erwin "Hange has informed me of a new development; it seems the walls that protect Humanity harbor a secret unknown to the rest of us, apparently the walls are made of a crystal like substance rather than brick and mortar, she'd like to investigate it and she'll need the Elric's help. So here's what will happen; you and Hange are to take the Elrics to Trost to rebuild the entrance, use that as the excuse, on your way back to our former HQ you are to take a little detour to an unoccupied part of Wall Rose."

"Got it." said Levi as he left the office.

* * *

Ed and Alphonse arrived back at the castle, it was late in the afternoon, they went into the mess hall to make themselves some food; Ed began boiling some bean soup in a metal bowl and took out two pieces of bread from the straw sack, Alphonse sat at an empty table writing down notes into a book.

"Here Al" said Ed as he placed down a plate as he placed down a bowl of bean soup and a piece of bread in front of Alphonse "Not as good as the food back home, but it'll have to do" he said as he shoveled a spoon full of bean soup into his mouth and swallowed "what I wouldn't give for some meat though."

"Yeah…" said Alphonse "Guess being a Scout doesn't come with the same perks as being State Alchemist, huh?" he joked as he tore his bread in half and dipped it into the soup

"Hey Al, what ya writing?" asked Ed looking at the small handbook

"Oh... ah… its notes about Alkhestry" replied Alphonse "I've been trying to write down everything I know about the subject, what Mei taught me and what I learnt from my own research back home, I'm hoping that by doing this I can … try and figure out where I went wrong…"

"You still hung up about Mylius' death…" said Ed

"I can't let that happen again, brother" replied Alphonse "next time I won't let my ignorance get the better of me." He then took a bite out of the soup soaked bread

"Hey…" came a voice to their left, it was Eren, he walked up to them and took a seat next to Ed "So how did the test go?" he asked

"It went well" said Alphonse "the instructor said that we were "pretty competent" in ODM gear"

"Guy was scary, remember the look he gave us Al?" asked Ed

"Yeah… had a really intense look about him" replied Alphonse

"Wait… you met Shadis?" asked Eren "he was the instructor during our three years as Cadets."

"Heh… that must have been tough." Replied Ed

"Hey, when you said that I'm you guys' friend, did you mean that?" asked Eren

"Of course" said Alphonse

"We may not have gotten off on the right foot, but we do see you as our friend Eren, we've got your back." Ed said before taking a bite out of his loaf of bread.

Eren smiled softly "Thanks, you guys."


	19. Chapter 19: Reputation

**Chapter 19: Reputation**

"Thank you" said Alphonse as an old woman handed him a bundle of flowers, they were passing through the town connected to Wall Rose; there area was bustling with people as groups of workers and soldiers passed through the tunnel into Trost district.

"No, thank you" replied the old woman "you boys helped save this town, its the least I can offer."

"Well isn't that sweet." Said Hange watching from the front with a soft smile on her face

"We're here to repair the gate and once we've done that we make our detour." Informed Levi as they came into sight of the gate into Trost, the large gate lifted above the entrence of the long tunnel and held up by massive chains.

Ed studied the feminine face on the gate above them _Wall Rose..._ he thought about Rose back on their world, the last time he saw her was back in Reole stilling trying to rebuild the town. Ed made a mental note to tell her about the crazy cult that worshipped the Walls and how one of them had the same name as her when he gets the chance to see her again... hopefully with her fiancé back...

Levi, Hange, Ed, Alphonse and their escort of ten other Scouts rode their horses through the gate of Wall Rose into Trost, it was late in the morning, Ed and Alphonse watched as the residents of Trost still continued to rebuild their homes and their lives and it looked as though they were no closer to making a dent into the amount of work they needed to do than when the two of them were here last time; houses were stilling looking hand destroyed with their roofs caved in and walls barely being held up or completely destroyed, entire buildings and whole streets demolished because of the Titan attack not to mention the rubble that still lined the streets and blocking the occasional path and the worse part was the blood splatters which could be found either on the paths or on the walls of homes lining the street. All around the sound of hammers, saws and mummered instructions occupied the air as a small army of people worked enlessly to the seemingly unreachable goal of returning Trost to its former glory.

As Alphonse looked around he couldn't help but think of the time when he had returned to Reole during its reconstruction after its devastating uprising and much like Reole those responsible were monsters who wanted saw Humans as nothing more than something to be used or in this case devoured.

They arrived at the sealed breach, the open space was occupied by a platoon of Garrison soldiers and workers with pickaxes who were chipping away at the pillars and spikes which spurt from the ground, before them was what seemed to be the rest of the boulder which Ed had split off as well as some other bits of rubble and long stretch of steel girders.

"You guys are here to fix the gate?" said the Garrison captain, there wasn't anything too special about him; average height, middle aged ,stubble on his chin and balding and the guy never gave them his name "That letter from Commander Erwin said as much" he then pointed towards the rubble and large rock "Think you can use your magic to make a gate out of that? It's got to be about ten meters in length and width and two meters thick" he asked

Ed walked up to the pile of rocks; he clapped his hands together and placed them onto the rubble, the large bits of rock morphed together to form a large stone slab, similar to the one at the entrance of Wall Rose; it even had an engraving of the feminine face with a crown on it. "That ought to do it." Ed said dusting his hands off. To the side Alphonse transmuted the long steel girders into long steel chains.

"You guys just turned years worth of work in less than thirty seconds…" remarked the Garrison Captain rubbin the back of his head "Alright I'll have some of my guys hoist it up from the wall, there's more of the same material up on the wall; we'll need two gates if we're to properly secure this entrance again, there isn't enough space on the wall for you to make the complete gate, so you'll have to make about a quarter of the gate only and then I'll have some of the engineers lower it down, you'll have to complete while hanging from the other side of the wall and on top of that we still need to lure the Titans still inside the tunnel outside; I'll have a large group of my men hang from other side of the wall, think you can do work while having Titan pass under you?"

"We've got it covered" said Ed, he and Alphonse then fired the cables of their ODM gear onto the Walls and reeled themselves up to the top, they did as instructed; they transmuted a quarter of a large stone slab and the steel chains connecting it to the walls, they lowered themselves onto the other side of the wall as the Garrison engineers lowered the unfinished gate and large chucks of rubble down to them. As Ed transmuted the chunk of rock into the stone slab he occasionally turned his attention to the Titans inside the tunnel that were passing underneath him and walking towards the direction of the Garrison soldiers.

Ed wiped off the sweat from his brow as he merged the final piece onto the suspended stone gate; it took a good hour for them to finish the gate piece by piece all the while Levi, Hange and their Scout escort stood off the edge of the wall watching for the group of Titans in case they started wondering back in.

"Ok, it's done!" yelled Ed,giving the Garrison engineers the thumbs up. He and Al then reeled themselves back up onto the wall, the gate then lowered down, sealing the entrance from the outside. Edward and Alphonse then lowered themselves down onto the other side of the wall to meet the Captain again.

"Good work, you two been a great help to us, now all we'll need to do is open the breach, the engineers can sort out the rest." Ed clapped his hands together and placed them on the stone seal they had make to plug the breach, he opened a hole to the tunnel, the same height and width of the gate. As the entrance opened up Ed caught sight of the rubble that littered the tunnel _Those guys have their work cut out for them_ thought Ed, he was then tapped on the shoulder he looked behind to see Levi with Alphonse standing next to him.

"So…" said Levi to Ed and Alphonse "That should be it then, let's make our way back-" he was interrupted by one of the workers

"Excuse, but could you help us get rid of these stone spikes and pillars around here? We're been trying to get rid of these things for almost a month now, but we're no closer to clearing them up as we were when we started" he asked

"Of course" replied Alphonse

"And could you get rid of that long wall and restore the road? And also the mess on that other street" asked another worker

"Could you also repair the roof of my house?" asked a random woman

Suddenly a growing crowd began to converge on them, asking them if they could quickly repair the damage done to their homes and neighbourhoods, they both looked at Levi who was standing next to them wondering if he'd let them help these people

Levi observed the faces of those Trost residents; their tired eyes and their dirted and bloodied hands from the endless hours of work, he sighed "It's your call" he said simply "We'll wait by the horses, just don't take too long." He, Hange and the other other Scouts all grabbed the reins of their horses and walked off towards the gate to Wall Rose

Hange looked over to Levi "Thought you said we'd only fix the gate and then leave?" She asked with a small grin on her face

"We can afford to wait" replied Levi, not turning his head to face her "beside, waiting until dark would be the best option"

The grin on Hange's face grew wider as she placed her arm on Levi's shoulder nonchalantly "You hide it but can be a real softy sometimes"

Levi rolled his eyes and brushed off Hange's arm dismissively "shut it, shitty glasses" he said slightly irritated

It was now late in the afternoon and the two had been working non-stop helping the citizens of Trost rebuild their damaged city, Ed was repairing the wall of a house, the whole place was barely being held up by its wooden pillars when he came to help; now it was once again something that could be called home.

"Thank you again" said the middle aged woman, she had brown hair done up in a ponytail and wore a red apron

"It's no problem, I use to do stuff like this back home for people" said Ed _except this time I'm not trying to lure a serial killer out of hiding…_ he thought

"Here" she then gave him something wrapped in a thin brown cloth that felt tough and leathery; Ed opened the cloth to reveal a chunk of dried meat _woah, meat!_ He thought surprised; for the past month he and Alphonse had eaten a mixture of soup with either peas or potatoes with bread, it was only very rarely they'd get their hands on some meat and even then it was thin strips of veal _it's been too long..._ he looked up to face the woman, the hastily constructed houses quickly reminded him that the people in Trost were in a difficult situation. Meat was rare in this world and a lot of people were starving, perhaps it was the same for this woman and her family.

"I… I can't take this" he said "It's yours" he responded

"No, I insist" replied the woman "Please this isn't just for repairing my house; my son was part of the cadets, he may not talk to his parents much but I heard that it was because of you, your brother and that other boy that he and his friends were able to escape and it was because of you boys that we have our home back, beside it's not even mine anyways I just found it in a chest that must ended up here during the chaos."

Ed was speechless "Um… Thank you, Mrs Kirsten" was all he could think to say "I will, they'll definitely love this."

"Thank you again" she replied

Ed made his way to the others waiting for him at the entrance through Wall Rose; he had to pass through small crowd of people thanking Alphonse for his help

"Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome." replied Alphonse rubbing the back on his head "It was nothing, really."

"Hey" said Levi "You two, enough chatting with the locals, get on your horse already." Ed and Alphonse both got on their horses and joined their escort through the tunnel of Wall Rose. They travelled along the main path until they were out of sight by the Garrison soldiers

"What've got there, brother?" asked Alphonse as he watched Ed place something in a one of the pouches connected to his saddle

"Some old lady gave me some meat for fixing her house" replied Ed "Said we should share it with you and Eren."

Alphonse smiled at the thought "That'll be nice, it's been awhile since we've had a nice meal." He said

"We're out of sight, we'll head straight this way" Levi instructed pointing in the direction left to them "We'll then begin to gradually move downwards towards the wall, we'll get there faster if we rush" he then whipped the reins of his horse causing his horse to gallop, the others quickly then followed suit. By the time they had reached an open space of Wall Rose the night has come and hid them from the world.

"No torches" ordered Levi "not until we no for certain that we're alone" he looked over to two other Scouts "you two, you're with me, we'll check if the wall is clear." He pulled out the handles to his gear and fired the fires onto wall, reeling himself upwards. The two other Scouts quickly followed suit behind the Captain. While they waited Hange talked to both Ed and Alphonse.

"So you two have definitely examined the piece of Wall?" asked Hange

"Yes, It's like you said; its atomic structure is similar to a diamond, only more dense." Replied Ed "I've never seen anything like it, it's a whole new element."

"This time we should be able to perform Alchemy on the Wall." Said Alphonse

Levi and the two other Scouts lowered themselves down to the group "All clear" he said "You're free to investigate without any Garrison soldiers catching you in the act." Ed and Alphonse walked up to the Wall; they clapped their hands and placed them on the Wall, a hole formed before them, they looked through it expecting to see through the wall into the area of Wall Maria, instead they saw nothing, just darkness.

"What the hell…" said Levi staring into the hole "Are the Walls hollow?" there was whispered chatter among the rest of the Scouts

"Someone light a torch" ordered Hange, quickly one of the Scouts gave her a lit torch, she moved forward slightly into the hole.

That's when they saw it; they all gasped and staggered back "What the hell!" Yelled one of the Scouts, Hange quickly stumbled back, almost dropping the torch in shock, some of the Scouts quickly took out their blades.

It was a toe, a large skinless toe which must have been almost their height.

"The Colossal Titan!" said one of the Scouts "It's inside the walls!"

Quickly Ed and Alphonse closed up the hole, when the hole was sealed they themselves stumbled away, their eyes then scanned the wall upwards _this must be the Titan that made a hole in Trost but what is it doing inside the Walls_?

"Something's not right" said Hange putting the torch out

"Of course not, the Colossal Titan is in the Walls" responded Levi, unsheathing his blades, he looked towards the two other scouts who had their blades out "You two you're with me, if it starts to break down Wall Rose then we're going to take it down, I want you two acting as diversions while I go for the nape and drag the son of a bitch shifter who caused all this out." The two of them nodded in response "Hange you take the boys and the rest of the men, head to Karanes and inform Erwin, we found the Colossal Titan."

"Wait Levi" responded Hange "I don't think that's the Colossal Titan"

"What' do you mean that's not the Colossal Titan?" said Levi perplexed

"Reports say that the Colossal Titan stuck its head over the wall in Shiganshina, meaning that the Colossal Titan is about approximately sixty meters in height, these walls are fifty meters." She then scanned the walls left and right, a terrible realisation dawning on her.

"Edward and Alphonse follow me" she said and ran off to the left, Ed and Alphonse quickly followed her

"Ah what the hell" exclaimed Levi "Stay here and keep an eye on that thing." He told the other Scouts, he then ran off after the three of them, Hange kept on kept on running along the wall with Levi, Ed and Alphonse tailing her until she suddenly stopped and turned to face them

"If I'm right about this, then there should be another Titan here too." She said "C'mon" she then fired the steel wires of her ODM gear onto the walls and reeled herself upwards until she was almost at the top, the others followed her up the wall "If my measurements are correct… then the face of the giant titan next to one we found should be here" pointing to an area to her left "But… there's only one way to find out…"

she looked to the Elrics, they gulped down hard at thought of what she wanted them to do, they slowly pressed their hands together and gently placed them on the wall, forming the same one meter hole. Under the moonlight they saw what looked to be the left half of an exposed set of teeth, the left half of a skinless nose and a large half opened eye… which moved ever so slightly to look at Hange.

"Close it" ordered Levi "Now!"

Ed and Alphonse quickly sealed up the hole, the four of them reeled themselves down to the ground, all of them were stunned by what they've just seen

"The Walls are comprised of Titans, giant Titans." Said Hange to no one in particular "Giant Titans are what's separating Humanity from other Titans who want to eat us…" they then began to scan the long wall

"How many do you think are in these walls?" asked Ed "thousands? Hundreds of thousands?"

Hange began to add the numbers in her head; the circumference of Wall Maria, Wall Rose and Wall Sina and on top of that the length of the walls that surround the districts, she came to terrifying realization "over half a million" she said "five hundred and eighty five thousands to be precise."

"There are over half a million Colossal Titans just waiting in the Walls..." Said Edward, repeating Hange observation to himself "They're just standing there dormant for now but..."

"But if they all decide to wake from their little beauty nap" finished Levi "then Humanity gonna be in some real deep shit."


	20. Chapter 20: The Burdens We Carry

**Chapter 20: The Burdens We Carry**

In the military HQ in Karanes, Levi and Hange debriefed Erwin on their discovery of Titans within the walls; it was only a day and a half away from the expedition beyond Wall Rose, Karanes was abuzz with activity with the over hundred Scouts and Garrison soldiers making their final preparations.

"So… what you're saying is that Titans with similar heights to the Colossal Titan line the three walls that has housed humanity for a century?" asked Erwin as he stared outside the large window in his office "Who else knows?"

"Us, the Elrics and the Scout escort with us." Replied Levi who was leaning against the door "Other than that, no else."

"Good, for now let's keep it that way for now" responded Erwin "We can't let those who've been hiding this secret know that we've uncovered it; the smaller the circle the safer we'll be, we can let the others know about it when the time comes, Hange is there anything about these Titans I should know?"

"They seem docile; similar to the captured Titans when they were cut off from sunlight, so an attack by them is highly unlikely, thankfully." Replied Hange

"We'll need to plot a course of action with this new information; we must find out the people and groups who knew of this secret, I have no doubt that they must be hiding far more secrets from the rest of humanity." Remarked Erwin

"Minister Nick, the one in the court" said Hange "If anyone knows anything about those Walls he's bound to know, it would also explain why those damn cultists have been making so difficult to place some cannons on these Walls."

"We'll need to apprehend Minister Nick then" said Erwin "This will be something we'll have to discuss further after the expedition, tell me how is Eren Yeager and the Elrics doing, are they ready for their first expedition beyond the walls?"

They're as trained and ready as they'll ever be" said Levi "I had my squad teach Eren about the long distance scouting formation, I've briefed the Elrics on their position in the formation separately, though Eren and my squad are curious about the Elrics and why they won't be riding along with us, there was also speculation about what your question meant, I made up some excuse about Squad Leader Ness taking watch over them."

"Good" responded Erwin, staring out into the distance "One way or another we will uncover the Truth."

* * *

Ed, Eren and Alphonse were cleaning the stables, Eren wondered about why the two of them seemed so on edge at times these last few days, when they had arrived at Karanes he noticed how their eyes would scan the walls, it was as if they were waiting for something to happen, but whenever he'd ask them they'd snap out of it and suddenly act like their usual selves, now was one of those times.

 _Their nerves must be getting to them with the expedition coming up_ Eren thought shovelling the horses' faeces into a metal bucket, while Ed and Alphonse tended to the horses

"Cleaning the stables is a crappy job, huh?" he joked

"Yeah it is…" Ed replied back with a small smile before getting back on to what he was doing

After they had finished with cleaning out the stables, the three of them left the stables back to Oluo who was told to watch over them, they caught sight of what looked to be a large group of Cadets being escorted by a few of the Scouts, in the crowd Eren spotted two familiar faces.

"Hey that's Armin and Mikasa" said as Ed and Alphonse also caught sight of them "Oluo, sir, could we go and talk to them?"

"Yeah sure…" replied Oluo disinterred, they three of them quickly jogged over to them

"Armin! Mikasa!" Eren yelled, catching their attention, they slightly gasped when they caught sight of them "Man, am I glad to see you guys"

Mikasa quickly grabbed one of Eren's hands into hers and held it tenderly "Eren have they mistreated or hurt you in anyway?" she asked with a look of concern "have they beaten you or mentally hurt you?"

"Uh… no, they haven't." replied Eren slightly taken aback

Mikasa suddenly had a look of pure anger and hatred on her face as she remembered what Levi had done to Eren at the Court case "That damn pipsqueak is gonna pay, I'll make sure of it."

"Wait… you mean Captain Levi?" asked Eren as he and Alphonse both looked at her a bit concerned.

 _You and I both…_ thought Ed with a sly smirk on his face, remembering the incident and feeling old emotion beginning to surface up.

"Hey guys" came a voice from behind Mikasa and Armin, they turned their attention to the group walking up to them, it was Connie with Sasha, Krista, Ymir, Reiner, Bertholdt and Mina "It's been a while, huh."

"Hey! Alphonse!" she said smiling, she was happy to see Alphonse looking alright; the last time she'd seen him was when Captain Levi beat him in court, she then turned her attention to the others "Eren! Ed! How're you guys been?

"Great" replied Alphonse with a soft simile

"So all of you joined the Scouts?" asked Eren

"Well… That's why we're here." Replied Connie

"Yeah, right" replied Eren

"So, you two joined the Scouts too?" asked Connie "Got a handle on the ODM gear?"

"Yeah, we've got a pretty good gasp on this thing" replied Ed "Looks like we won't need to hitch a ride on you guys anymore."

"So did Jean, Annie and Marco leave to join the Military Police?" asked Eren, the sound of footsteps behind Eren, Ed and Alphonse caught everyone attention, they turned to see who it was; it was Jean and another group of Cadets "Jean?" Eren said surprised to see him here "You joined the Scouts?"

"Marco's dead…" Jean responded, everyone around them went silent for a while with sad expressions on their faces.

"He… Marco..." Eren stuttered "Marco's… dead?"

"Apparently no one was there to see it..." Jean said "He died alone and there was no on there with him." The mood was now bleak as everyone fell silent for a moment over the death of their friend; Ed and Alphonse were silent out of respect for their loss.

"Hey rookies!" came a voice to the side, it was one of the Scouts, standing in front of a wagon "Your uniforms are here!" The Cadets then huddled towards the wagon and were individually handed their new Light brown jacket and hooded cloak with the blue and white wings sewn onto it, they threw their new green cloaks over their shoulders, Eren, Ed and Alphonse watched as they adorned their new uniform.

"Eren" said Jean "When you have the time, we'd like to have a word later today" he then looked to Ed and Alphonse "You two should come along."

* * *

In the dimly lit storage room of the Military HQ, Eren, Ed and Alphonse met with the others to catch up about the last two months.

"I'm sorry about your friend, Marco" said Ed to the group

"Back during the recovery operation in Trost, when everyone was leaving he was the one trying to convince everyone to stay." Said Connie, Ed and Alphonse both looked to the floor somberly

"So you guys are…" said Eren

"Yes, we're all going on the expedition a day from now" said Mikasa

"Eren, I heard you tried to attack Ed here while in Titan form, is that true?" asked Jean accusingly

"You're wrong, that's not what happened…" argued Mikasa

"With all due respect Mikasa, I wasn't asking you and you weren't the one who was attacked, if I want verification on what happened I'll ask him" Jean said pointing towards Ed

Ed was silent, he wondered whether he should answer truthfully, Mikasa looked at Ed with a look in her eyes as if she was desperately telling him to lie for Eren sake. "Yeah… Ed said

"Apparently I attacked Ed while I was in Titan form…" Eren said apologetically

"Apparently?" interrogated Jean "You don't remember? So you can transform into a fifteen meter tall Titan whenever you want, but when you're in Titan form you don't have complete control over it?"

Eren looked down to the floor, like a child being scolded by their parent "Yeah… that's about it…"

Jean sighed "Thank God we and the rest of humanity doesn't have to rely on you completely; if we were then it's likely we'd all end up like Marco or almost like Mina; dead before Eren could even realize what happened or dead because we followed him"

"Stop it-" said Mikasa, but Jean wasn't paying attention

"Of course we don't know whether we can totally rely on you two either" said Jean focusing his attention to Ed and Alphonse "word been going around that you two aren't exactly doing this out of the goodness of your own hearts; some people are even saying you two are spies, so tell us Elrics why exactly are you here? Tell us, that way we'll know whether you're in this for the long haul or if, just like you came here, you'll both vanish into thin air one day and leave the rest of us to rot" he tone then became more authoritative, he marched up towards them the three of them "the reason I'm asking is simply because we don't want to die for your sake just because we're ordered to, we want a reason, the truth, otherwise we'd hesitant when the time calls for decisive action, what we need from you guys is a guarantee; tell us why you two are worth dying for."

All eyes were now on Ed and Alphonse; Ed was really starting to dislike Jean for placing them on the spot like this but he completely understood why and, in a way, respected him for it. Ed and Alphonse looked at each other, Alphonse nodded to Ed as if to show him he'll support him with whatever decision he'd make, Ed sighed "Alright, we'd have to tell you guys eventually so we might as well do it now… remember what I said about there being something in it for us if we helped you guys defeat the Titans, Armin?" he asked as both Ed and Alphonse looked to him

"Yeah, I remember" Armin replied "I'm guessing this isn't exactly the circumstance you'd like to talk in."

"Believe or not we made a deal with…God" Ed said, everyone, except Eren, in the room either gasped or looked stunned

"So what… are you trying to say that you two really are angels or something?" questioned Ymir

"No, we're human and we are from a different world" replied Alphonse "we're telling you its God because it's easier to understand, its name is the Truth and from our understanding it's like a God; all powerful and all knowing and it's able to regulate our Alchemy."

"We've had run ins with it in the past, I'm not about to go into detail about that, but one day we were just snatched from our home and it made us an offer; we'll get a demand, a wish, which would allow us to do anything, we're going to use it to bring back all the people we lost over the years and for our part we would have to help a group of people on another world fight an enemy they do not understand but seeks to kill them all, we succeed by helping you prevent that." explained Ed, everyone who was not privy to this information were hanging off their every word.

"So believe us when we say; we will do whatever it takes to reclaim Wall Maria for humanity on this world and beat back the Titans" Alphonse then walked up to Jean, the two of them looked each other in the eyes "We'll never ask you to die for us but what we will ask of you is this; trust in us when we say that we are in this one hundred percent of the way."

"Alright then." replied Jean, he then turned his attention to Eren, he grabbed him by his shoulders and brought him close so that he could look him straight in the eyes "Can we count on you too, Eren? If so then we're with you till the end"

Eren was taken aback for a second, but was quickly able to regain his composure, he straighten his back and Jean by his arms to pull him closer "Yes, you can trust me… all of you can trust me, I won't fail you guys, we won't fail you guys."

* * *

Ed and Alphonse stood with their backs lean up against the wall outside the military HQ; Ed looked to the ground, his arms crossed while Alphonse stared up into the night sky watching the stars

"You know brother" said Alphonse "If you just stare into the sky, it's almost like I'm back in Resembool."

"Is that right, Al?" replied Ed as he too looked up "That was a pretty intense meeting"

"He did have a good reason though" said Alphonse "For putting us on the spot like that."

Ed sighed "I guess"

"Hey guys" came a familiar voice from their side, they both turned their head, it was Mina

"Oh, hey Mina" said Ed tiredly

"Hi again, Mina" said Alphonse

"Sorry about that back there" she said apologetically "whole thing was emotionally draining."

"There's no need to apology, we understand." Replied Alphonse

Mina sighed with relief and smiled "It's good to see you're alright, Alphonse, you don't seem to have any marks or bruises on you."

"We've had worse" joked Alphonse as he rubbed his face.

"You know this is the district I grew up in" she told them "My house is just a few streets from here, I'm going to visit my parents tomorrow for dinner, I was wondering if you'd like to come along?" Her request took both of them off guard "If you'd like; I wrote to them about you guys and what you did and they'd like to thank you in person."

"We'd love to come." Said Alphonse cheerfully

"Great, I'll meet you guys here in the afternoon and take you there." Replied Mina, she then went up and hugged Alphonse and then Ed "Thanks guys." She said before walking off.

"C'mon brother" said Alphonse "It's getting late, we should head to our sleeping quarters." He then began to walk off

"Sure" said Ed staring at Alphonse, still leaning up against the wall _What exactly are you playing at, Al?_

Ed and Alphonse both arrived at the same spot they were last night to wait for Mina, they wore their knee high boots, white trouser, a plain white shirt and a long dark brown coat with the Scout Regiment insignia sown on it.

"Think we might be a bit overly dressed?" asked Ed

"It's what the Captain told us to wear when going out." Replied Alphonse

"I know; he went on a whole spiel about how looking presentable is everything for like ten minutes." Remarked Ed

"Hey Guys!" yelled Mina walking towards them, she was dressed plain brown trousers and a long sleeved teal blouse "You guys didn't have to dress so smartly" she joked

"Captain's orders" replied Ed

"C'mon, I'll show you the street I grew up in." she said waving her arm at them to follow, they walked down a narrow dirt path lined with houses made of wood and stone on each side "I remember I use to play with the other kids on this street, this one big kid use to chase all of us down the road pretending to be a Titan"

"Hey" came a young voice to their side, the three of them turned to see it was a little boy and beside him was a little girl who they assumed is his sister "Are you guys from the Scout Regiment?" he asked excitedly

"Yeah, did the big white and blue wings on our backs give it away?" said Ed

"They're called the wings of freedom" said Alphonse as he pointed to the badge on his left shoulder"

"Have you guys killed any Titans?" he asked

"A bunch in Trost." said Alphonse

"That so cool" the two little kids exclaimed "When I get older I gonna join the Scouts!" he then ran off with his sister down the street, the three of them looked back at the two kids running off.

They continued walking for a minute and stopped at one of the houses in the middle of street "This is my house" she then knocked on the door and a middle-aged woman open it; she was the slightly taller than Mina, had light blue eyes and long thick black hair done up in a single ponytail which rested on her left shoulder.

"Mina" the woman said with a large smile as she went in for a hug

"Hi mom" replied Mina as she hugged her, as they let go she then introduced the Elrics "Mom, this is Ed and Alphonse Elric."

"It's a pleasure to meet you two" she said "Mina told us a lot about you two, please come in." they walked inside the house, the lower half of the house looked to be separated into an open space with a wooden table and chairs in the middle and some candles attached to some wooden beams near the middle of the open space, a kitchen in a separate room and in front of the door was a staircase leading up.

"What a lovely house you have, Mrs. Carolina" said Alphonse

"Why thank you." She responded "please have a seat at the table" she then looked to Mina "Your father upstairs getting dressed he'll be down soon." She then walked into the kitchen while the three of them sat down at the table, the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs caught their attention; it was Mina's father, he too was also middle-aged, light brown hair, clean shaven with grey eyes and looked to be a few centimeters taller than Ed and Alphonse.

"Dad" greeted Mina as she walked up to him and hugged him tightly

"Mina, it's good to see you again." He said "And you two must be the Elric brothers, I'm guessing you're Ed?" he said extending his hand

"Yeah, that's right." Ed replied as he shook his hand

"And you must be Alphonse?"

"Yes, sir" said Alphonse politely shaking his hand

"You're actually like what Mina descried, it's an honor to meet you two" he said sitting down, at the end of the table "Mina said a lot of good things about you boys in her letter, thank you for saving her"

"It's no problem." Replied Ed "We're just doing what we can."

"Mina, honey, could you help me for a little bit." Asked her mother

"Coming, mom." She replied as she got up from her chair and into the kitchen

"Honestly boys, thank you, my wife and I owe you so much for saving daughter's life" he said somberly, only looking at the table, Mina stood near the doorway, listening on the conversation unknown to the three at the table "We never told her this but when the news came about what happened in Trost and the Cadet Crops being a part of the evacuation and recovery efforts, we were just terrified and then the military officials starting coming to people's doors to tell them the bad news about their kids, even a street across we could hear the cries, my wife prayed they'd never visit and every time I saw one pass the house I swear my heart just stops beating, she's our only child you see, when we got that letter from her it felt as if mountains had been lifted from our backs and then we read that she joined the Scout Regiment… if feels as though that weight that left us only for a second has come back." He turned to face Ed and Alphonse "You've two have done a lot for this family already, but please I ask you, look out for her tomorrow when you go out beyond the walls."

Ed and Alphonse looked at the man speechless, they didn't know what they could tell him _we'd love to, but we're kind of on a secret mission which means were posted away from your daughter so protecting her is out of the question…_

"We-" said Ed, who was then abruptly interrupted

"Of Course." Replied Alphonse, almost blurting it out, Ed turned towards Alphonse with a perplexed look on his face

"Thank you." He replied with a tender smile on his face "You know she told me that you were the one who saved her, Alphonse, if you plan on marrying her you have my blessing." He teased

Alphonse face immediately turned bright red "uhhhh…"

"I'm teasing of course." He said grinning "guys like you two; you probably have someone special waiting for you back home."

"Ed does, don't you brother?" Alphonse joked "You and Winry?

"Shut up Al" said Ed playfully "What about you and Mei? Last I remember she was crazy about you"

Suddenly there was a loud clang in the kitchen, catching everyone's attention "Sorry" said Mina "Dropped something"

"I haven't seen her in two years." replied Alphonse thinking back to Mei "She's probably grown out of that phase by now."

Ed eyed Alphonse questioningly, his attention was quickly drawn to Mina and her mother coming though the kitchen door, holding a bowl filled with different vegetables and a wooden cutting board with two large cooked fishes.

"This looks lovely, Mrs. Carolina" said Alphonse

"Why thank you" she replied as she and Mina sat down to eat, throughout the dinner and the conversations, all Ed could do was glance over to Alphonse every so often.

* * *

"Alright you two get in the wagon" said Levi "Gate goes up in five minutes"

Ed and Alphonse climbed onto the lone wagon, parked at the corner of the street, out of sight from the main column of soldiers; it was filled with crates and stacks of gas canisters. Alphonse made a last minute check of his ODM gear and adjusted the button on his green hood cloak, while Ed took out his pocket watch from the front right pocket of his brown waist coat and looked upon the picture of him, Winry and Alphonse _We'll be back soon, Winry…_

"You boys on?" asked the driver

"Yeah" they both replied

"Alright, its full speed ahead when the gate open, so hold on tight." Said the driver as he moved the wagon to join up with the other wagons in the large column on the main road, the wagon ever so slightly shaking as the horses began to pull up towards the others and coming to a halt.

"You nervous, Al?" asked Ed as the sound of the large bell rang overhead

"A little bit, brother" replied Alphonse as he gripped his hands together

"Hey don't worry before you know it we'll have that wall plugged up and we'll be back home in no time." Said Ed

"Yeah…" Alphonse replied simply, in truth he was wasn't worried about making it out alive, he knew that both he and Ed could handle themselves, he was anxious over keeping his promise to Mina's dad, he was trying his best to convince himself she'd be fine being on the left-wing with Mikasa

"Thirty seconds!" came a yell from ahead of the column

Eren stared ahead at the many other Scouts ahead of him and the large gate, beside him to his right was Petra and his Left was Oluo, his attention was caught by the sound of light gasps to his left, he shifted his head to see two small children peering through a window staring at him with wide eyed wonder "Awesome" said the little girl "It's the Scouts." "You see that symbol?" said the little boy "They call it the wings of freedom." Eren smiled at them softly, remembering back to the time when he was their age and stared in wonderment and felt humbled by the presence of the soldiers of the Scouting Regiment, now he was one of them and was now about to embark on his first expedition beyond the walls to face the Titans and prove his worth to humanity.

Krista, Armin, Connie, Sasha and Mina gripped the reins of their horses tightly, their hearts frantically pounding away as the adrenaline coursed through their veins, Jean, Reiner, Bertholdt, Ymir and Mikasa looked calm as they sat on their horses waiting for the gate to open.

"This is it people, it's time to show those bastards once more what Humanity is capable of, it's time for us to take one more step in pushing the Titans back into hell!" declared one of Scouts to a loud war cry from his fellow comrades.

"Open the Gate!" came a yell from in front, even from where they were sitting Ed and Alphonse could hear the loud rumbling of the large stone gate and the clanking of massive steel chains, ending on a loud boom of the gate reaching its end point. Commander Erwin, flanked by Squad leaders Hange and Mike, stared into the long open path ahead of him, he stared into the lands currently occupied by the Titans, the lands which will one day be reclaimed by Humanity.

 **"** **FORWARD!"**


	21. Chapter 21: The Female Titan

**Chapter 21: The Female Titan**

"It's officially begun!" declared Erwin as he rode ahead of the column of Scouts "The 57th Recon mission, all Scouts move out!"

Ed and Alphonse held tightly on to edges of the wooden wagon as the white tarp cover around them fluttered violently in the wind, the sound of hundreds of horses galloping along one path was almost deafening, Ed peered through the flap covering the entrance and glimpsed at the long line of people on horseback charging through the main road of the deserted town that led straight to the gate. The rows of gas canisters, scarabs and the contents of the crates in the wagon with them furiously rattled as they raced over the unkempt road.

"Bumpy ride." Remarked Ed as one of the wagon wheels ran over a pothole, suddenly the sound of loud crash caught their attention, it sounded as it something had smashed into one of the nearby buildings "What the hell was that?" he exclaimed, peering though the flap again he caught sight of a Titan, about ten meters, smash his hand into one of the empty houses as he tried to grab one of the Scouts assigned to protect the column.

Sasha internal squealed as she watched the ten meter titan and two Scouts battle each other mess than half a meter away from the column "Eyes front!" ordered one of the Scout veterans turning her head forward "Their job is to handle, yours is to keep riding!"

"Forward!" commanded Erwin, his voice booming in the air "Ride for all your worth!"

"Hey!" yelled the driver of the wagon to Ed and Alphonse "We're almost clear of the city ruins!"

As the Scouts exited the ruins, Eren thought back to his training with Levi squad about the long range formation, he thought back to his friends and what position they're in inside the formation; Mikasa, Mina and Sasha should be at the centre-left of the formation and Armin, Reiner, Jean, Ed and Alphonse should be at the centre-right with Squad Leader Ness

 _Everything beyond the ruins is uncontested Titan territory; from there we'll have to rely on the long range scouting formation and handle whatever Titan that comes our way ourselves._

He began to wonder whether his friends could handles themselves against a Titan, he thought back to Trost and the many other Cadets who died during the battle; he'd believe that after three years of training they were ready to take on the Titans, instead they died fighting them, would it be any different now than then? Could Ed and Alphonse, the two of them only having just learnt how to operate ODM gear be able to handle themselves with it?

"Hey" said Eren to Oluo "Loaded question, but do you think my friends have a chance in taking down a Titan."

"Really?" question Oluo "You'd think so otherwise those three years and two months worth of training would have been a complete waste of time and listen, this is a recon mission; we're not engaging every Titan we see-" he then bit down hard on his tongue again and whimpered in pain.

Erwin sharply stuck out his right hand "Deploy Long range scouting formation!" he ordered as the long column of Scouts dispersed over a wide field.

Both Ed and Alphonse peered through the flap of the wagon to find themselves no longer in the narrow road of a deserted town but now in a wide open space, everyone looked to have dispersed; only a single wagon and a few other scouts were close to them now compared to the long column only minutes ago.

"This must be the long range scouting formation the Captain had briefed us about." Said Alphonse as he took out his small note book and reviewed the forward facing semi-circle formation he drew down "We're in the centre of the formation if I remember correctly, special operations squad should be near the back and the Cadets are either in the second column or part of the wagon defensive squad."

"At least we get to hitch a ride for this expedition" commented Ed "From the looks of it our ODM gear wouldn't be too useful to us fighting the Titans in an open field, but we could still take them out with Alchemy if it comes down to it."

Suddenly the sound of a series of loud bangs caught their attention, coming from right side, Alphonse peered though the flap to see several red smoke flares reaching into the sky "What is it, Al?" asked Ed

"Red flares" responded Alphonse, there's Titans coming from the right" a sudden troubling thought then came to mind "Armin's in the right side of the formation ."

"Don't worry Al" Ed tried to reassure him "remember the whole point of this is to avoid fighting Titans."

Catching sight of the rows of red smoke columns to his right, Erwin fired off a green flare to his left to signal a reroute and steer away from the Titans, spotting the green flare in the sky Mikasa, Sasha and Mina fired off their green flares to same direction, Ed and Alphonse felt the wagon slowly turn leftwards. "See Al, nothing to worry about." Suddenly another bang again from the right side caught their attention; Alphonse checked peered though the flap again, his stomach dropped when he saw it

"Black smoke"

* * *

Sasha nervously surveyed her surroundings, her eyes frantically looking left and right as she pasted an abandoned set of farm houses, that's when she caught sight of it; a Titan resting within a destroyed house, its back was faced to her but its head had turned to look in her direction, The Titan quickly got up on all fours, crashed itself though one of next house and looked at Sasha with hungry eyes like a predator eyeing its prey.

Sasha tried to scream but only a feeble cry escaped her lips, she whipped at the reins of her horse in an attempt to escape but the quadruped Titan gave chase, almost matching the speed of her horse

"Sasha!" yelled Mina who was behind her and the Titan, she took out her flare gun and fired off a red smoke signal, she frantically holstered the pistol back in its place.

 _Crap! What do I do?_ Thought Mina _If I don't do something now that Titan will eat her for sure!_

She took out the handles of her ODM gear and attached her blades to them _there's no way I can kill that thing, we're out in the open and its moving way too fast._

She then looked to its legs and a stupid idea came to her _maybe if I just cut the tendon of one of its feet, it'll buy us enough time to escape…_ she stood up, climbing up on the saddle till she was at an almost standing position, beads of sweat ran down her forehead.

 _This is stupid… This is so fucking stupid_

Adrenaline was coursing through her veins and her heart was beating frantically, it similar to when she killed her first Titan; an intense mixture of excitement and fear. Mina jumped from her horse and fired the steel wire at the one of the Titan's legs

Two Scout veterans had arrived at the scene, just in time to see Mina jumping from her horse "What the hell does she think she doing?" exclaimed one of the Scouts "Damn idiots! I'm going after them!" one of the Scout rode off straight towards the Titan, Mina readied her blades, reeling herself forward and with all the strength she could summon she swung her blades and cut deeply into the Titan's left foot, almost complete decapitating the foot from the rest of the leg. She quickly detached herself from Titan as it tripped up on itself, its head skidding across the ground. She attempted to land on her feet by ended rolling on the ground

Taking advantage of the Titan's disorientated state, the veteran Scout leapt from his horse and fired the cables of his ODM gear into the lower part of its neck, quickly reeled himself forward and lacerated the Titan's nape; killing it instantly. Mina quickly got up to her feet after her rough landing, dusting the dirt off her uniform and placing her blades back in her scarab, she observed the now dissolving Titan corpse. The veteran Scouts and Sasha rode up to her.

"Mina!" screamed Sasha as she jumped from her horse and hugged her tightly, tears threatening to escape her eyes "Thank you! Thank you!" Mina hugged her back

"Hey!" yelled one of veteran Scouts "You two!" both of them turned their attention to other Scouts and quickly saluted them, the guy who delivered the killing blow to the Titan approached them first "Cadet, were you trying to be a hero or do you have some kind of death wish?"

"I...I…" Mina stuttered "n…no sir, neither."

"If we hadn't shown up then you'd be Titan puke in the near future, you got stupidly lucky but you won't be next time" he then sighed " just get back on horse and keep moving, you can count that as an assist I guess" he said as he walked off to his horse.

* * *

Armin watched as a female looking Titan locked onto him and resumed sprinting full speed towards him after brutally crushing one of the Scouts in the palm of its hands and flung Squad Leader Ness into the ground.

Armin panicked; he whipped the reins of his horse, signalling it to go faster in a desperate attempt to escape "That Titan" he muttered to himself "it's not an abnormal…what the hell do I do? I can't fight that that Titan, it's not an abnormal or a normal one, it's intelligent; like the Colossal, like the armoured, like Eren!"

The female looking Titan was now just behind him; the boom of its rapid footsteps was almost ear-splitting "It's a Titan shifter!" he cried "But who? And why would anyone kill other humans?" he turned his head around to see the Female Titan was right on his tail "This is bad! What do I do? If that thing catches up to me I'm as good as dead!" he let go of the reins of the spare horse, hoping that it would increase his speed "Go!" he yelled, he watched as the spare horse began to run free only to be stomped on by the Female Titan. He looked up to see the Titan peering down on him with its bright blue eyes, through its short blond messy hair. He thought back to the shifters; the Colossal, the Armoured and now the Female Titan _what is it that they're hoping to achieve?_ He thought as the Female Titan raised its foot over him, ready to stomp on him. Her foot came down just right next to him, the force was enough to crack the ground and cause his horse to stumble which sent him tumbling off, landing into the dirt.

He was about to pick himself up and make a run for it, when the sound of a deafening boom just right next to him caused him to freeze in place, he felt its presence; the large shadow looming over him, he felt it tug at his hood, bringing him into a kneeling position, he looked up at the Titan; it was crouching down to look at him curiously as if studying his face. Armin felt paralysed; he couldn't move a muscle; all he could do was stare into the Titan's bright blue eyes. And wait for the moment it would kill him

The Titan let go of Armin's hood, stood up and ran off.

"Why…" he muttered "It… it didn't kill me, it just looked at my face… but why?" he watched as the Female Titan ran off

"Armin!" a call came from behind him, a figure on a horse approached him, and he looked up to see it was Reiner along with a spare horse.

"Reiner!" responded Armin

"Hey, can you stand?" he asked "C'mon you won't last long without a horse in this place, you'll have Titans swarming you in no time, climb on."

"Right!" replied Armin as he climbed onto the spare horse and charged off the in pursuit of the Titan running off

"I came here as soon as I saw the black smoke, gotta say, it has a nice ass for an abnormal." He commented

"It's not an abnormal" stated Armin "It's a human in a Titan's body"

"Wait, what?" replied Reiner

"I'll explain later" said Armin as he fumbled around with his flare gun "Work you stupid piece of garbage" he muttered as he struggled to load the flare into the pistol, suddenly the sound of a flare gun being fired off behind them caught their attention, they turned to see who it was

"Looks like Jean got you covered" said Reiner as Jean rode up to them

A series of bangs to their right caught their attention, a line of yellow smoke columns appeared "That's not good." Said Reiner "looks like the right sides taken a beating and trying to get the Commander to abort the mission."

"The right-wing spotters apparently got wiped out by a Titan ambush, a whole bunch of them just came out of the wood work, the spotters couldn't react fast enough and the worst part was that they're freakishly fast" informed Jean "Whatever's left of the right-wing is holding them off for now, but now there's no one watching the right side, a pretty big setback if you ask me, if we're not carefully it's likely we'll get wiped out."

"Right-side?" asked Armin, a sudden realisation dawned on him "She came from the right-side, could she have led them?"

"Who, that abnormal?" asked Jean

"It's not an abnormal" stated Armin "It's a human in a Titan body, someone with the same abilities as Eren

"You're kidding me?" replied Jean

"What makes you say that?" asked Reiner

"Titans devour people it's in their nature, but they don't however kill us in cold blood, this one does; I saw it kill two Scouts by either crushing them in its hands or flinging them against the ground, it didn't attempt to eat them" informed Armin "She must be working with the Colossal and the Armoured Titans, it's possible she led them to the wall before it got breached, it's as if she has a hatred for humanity, but it's also possible that she could be after someone, it's likely she's after Eren, but it's also a good possibility she could be after the Elrics."

"Going after Eren I can understand, but Ed and Alphonse?" questioned Jean

"Think about it" replied Armin "even without Eren the Elrics have effectively tipped the scales in humanity's favour and the most crucial part is their abilities can be learned; if an entire regiment were to be able to perform Alchemy than it'd make Humanity almost unstoppable, which means if the Titans manage to capture one of them and gain their knowledge…"

"Then its lights out for Humanity." finished Reiner grimly "Those three are on the right flank with Levi squad, where she came from."

"Huh?" said Jean "I think you got some faulty Intel big guy, my copy of the plans had them on the left flank."

"Strange" remarked Armin "my copy had them on the right flank, which wouldn't make sense; why position them in the frontline, sure one of the objectives of this expedition was to put their abilities to the test but there's far too much risk in placing them at the front."

"So where would they be?" asked Reiner

"They'd had to have been placed in the safest part of the whole formation; which would be centre-rear, behind the wagons." Replied Armin

"Now's not the time for that" said Jean "Right now we need to warn command about this Titan, I don't think using flares is gonna cut it this time, the way things are going she'll reach the command squad and if they get wiped out then the formation gets fucked."

"You have a plan?" asked Reiner

"Yeah… I do" replied Jean

* * *

"Hey!" yelled a Scout riding his horse up to the wagon "Oral message; the right-wing spotters have been wiped out; apparently an abnormal Titan led some kind of ambush, the message is to keep moving east!"

"Got it!" yelled the driver; Ed and Alphonse listened in to the conversation

"Right-wing spotters?" said Ed

"They're here" said Alphonse showing him the drawing of the formation and looking increasingly worried "if they're gone then that means there's no one watching out of Titan attacks on our right."

 _Damn…_ thought Ed _and here I was thinking that everything was ok…_

"Which means that the centre-right is what stands between us and the Titans, the cadets are in that position" finished Alphonse

Ed took out the handles of his ODM from his side pockets and attached them each to a blade in his scarabs, it had quickly dawned on him that if veteran Scouts couldn't hold back a Titan attack then it's likely they'll pierce through the cadets and into their position them "I guess we better get prepared to fight then, in case they make it through."

Alphonse did the same; attaching his blades to his handles _I hope the others on the right wing are ok…_

"Could the Titans have commanders?" asked Ed imagining the thought of a Titan leading some kind of organised attack.

"Well Commander Erwin thinks they have spies in the Cadets, I don't think it would be too far off to assume they had commanders, it's possible they could also be shifters like Eren" replied Alphonse

"That's a real scary thought" remarked Ed "I thought they were just mindless monsters…"

"You think there could be some kind of Titan-shifter structure or hierarchy?" asked Alphonse "The Titan shifters are like the homunculi and the regular Titans are like those mannequin soldiers."

"That is a good possibility" replied Ed as he scratched his chin, contemplating the idea "That means there's someone at the head of all this, like Father was to the homunculi… of course who it is will be something we'll might have to find out"

"Does that mean we'll have to stay here after we've sealed the breach in Wall Maria?" asked Alphonse "If there is someone who could be at the head of all this… then they could be a continued threat even if we seal the breach."

Ed sighed "For now let's focus on sealing up the hole in Wall Maria; that's our end goal and what we agreed to with Commander Erwin… Also I doubt whoever behind all this would mind we undo all their work so my guess is that we'll face guy before we seal the breach" The more he thought about it the more inescapable the idea that they may have to stay longer than they anticipated seemed.

 _Getting that Demand and heading home… that's all we need to be focusing on_

* * *

Armin sat staring at the ground as Reiner bandaged his wounds from their brief encounter with the Female Titan and Reiner's seemingly miraculous escape, lost in his own thoughts as he relived the moment the Female Titan looked down on his him with its cold and yet comforting bright blue eyes, looking past her messy blonde hair when he was at his most vulnerable; lying on the soft grass as blood ran down his forehead.

 _She almost looks like…_

"Armin!" yelled Reiner "You still there?"

"Sorry" Armin replied, jumping back a bit "still a little out of it…"

"Alright…" replied Reiner "Well looks like we've got a tough choice to make; one of us is going to have to stay behind…"

"Wait" interjected Armin "Before we do that, we should fire off a flare first, if I'm right than the third squad of the fourth column should be near us."

Jean took out his pistol and loaded in a purple flare and fired it into the sky "okay, that's the emergency flare, though I doubt someone will appear with an extra horse to save the day." Jean said

"Armin… we'll wait for three minutes and then we'll have to get moving" Reiner paused for a second "till then we have to decide who-"

"I'll do it" Armin said simply, if this was the choice that had to be made than he'd want his friends to survive rather than him; they'd serve humanity far better than he would.

"Hold on just a minute" replied Jean hastily

Armin wasn't paying attention instead he kept talking "I just need you two to relay an important message to commander Erwin for me."

Suddenly the distance sound of galloping could be heard, Jean shifted himself in its direction, he covered his eyes from the sun to get a better look "hang on Armin!" he said with a large grin on his face "looks like you'll be able to tell him yourself, someone's coming here and it looks like they've brought two horses

Galloping towards them, Jean got a better sight of the rider, whoever it was pretty small and when he saw the long blond hair being carried by the wind he quickly realized who it was "Krista!"

* * *

"Titans have crossed this path" observed Erwin, staring at the densely packed forest of towering trees, their shadows casting an eerie gloom over the area "Nature hasn't been able to claim it; our wagons should be able to get through." He then turned to the Scouts next to him "Alert all units behind us, only the center wagon defense squad is to enter this forest."

"Yes sir!" said the Scouts to his left and right as they detached from the command unit to relay the message to the others

Sasha watched curiously as the wagon defence squad moved into the forest path, though she could have sworn she saw someone move the flap from the inside of one of the wagons, she turned to one of the Scout veterans leading the unit of Cadets "excuse me, sir but it looks like the centre-rank is heading into the forest, wouldn't we run straight into the trees if we keep going?" she asked

The Scout veteran said nothing for a few seconds before responding "We'll go around"

"Hey um… it looks like only the centre rank is heading into the forest" pointed out Connie "What happens to the rest of us?"

"We've been told to go around, for the time being the formation going to have to break up." Responded Mikasa "That means our job as spotters becomes useless."

Connie was dumbfounded "why couldn't we have gone around it?" he asked "Commander Erwin read a map wrong or something?"

"I don't know, we could be here to avoid the Titan ambush that's been attacking us from our right flank… maybe…" replied Mikasa

The Cadets were ordered to spread out across the tree line and take out any Titan which tries to enter the forest, each one standing on a large thick branch; forming a thin ring around the forest as they surveyed the large open field around them for Titans

"This is bullshit…" commented Jean irritated " I thought this was supposed to be a recon mission; we check if there's a possible Titan attack happening and go back, now we're being told to wait out in this god forsaken forest and for what? So the centre rank can go bird watching?" he then turned his head towards the Scout veteran who ordered them to dismount "look at him… we're sure getting some crap orders under their leadership…"

"Hey, keep it down, they can hear you…" said Armin, trying to warn Jean

"So?" responded Jean "the guy won't tell us why we're here Tch, I bet he's shitting himself… I've heard that when officers get judged as incompetent by their men they ended up with mysterious stab wounds in the back apparently it happens all the time…"

Armin looked at Jean angst "Jean, whatever you think you're going to do…"

Jean looked at him and sighed "look I'm just wanted to vent, I'm not about to stage a mutiny… yet… But tell me Armin, you seem to know more than you're letting on…"

Armin looked to the ground "I…"

"Five meter Titan!" yelled the Scout "incoming!"

* * *

"Everyone cover your ears" ordered Levi as he raised his pistol upwards, his squad did just that; either taking placing one hand over an ear and resting their head on their shoulder to still hold on to the reins or letting go of the reins entirely. Levi fired the pistol, a loud bang cut through the sound of the rapid galloping from the horses and the loud stomping footsteps of the pursuing Female Titan, everyone save for Levi winced in pain as the sharp sound of the pistol round being fired assaulted their eardrums.

"Was that an acoustic round?" asked Eren

"Remind me, what our mission is?" questioned Levi; ignoring Eren "To act on every gut feeling that may come to us?" his question was met with silence from the team "exactly… our mission is to make sure that the three brats don't end coming back in body bags and since the other two are unaccounted for, we can only assume the worse" there was a small gasp from the squad as Levi suggested the idea that Ed and Alphonse died during the Titan ambush, Eren thought about them, his friends and the others on the right flank; Armin, Reiner and Jean, could they have died too? "Which means we defend Eren no matter the cost, understood?"

 _But… I thought their job was to keep us in check…_ thought Eren, he looked back at the Female Titan _she… she's may killed my friends, but you won't kill anyone else…_ he felt the rage within him build up.

"Yes sir!" responded Petra, as the rest of Levi squad gritted their teeth

"But… that Titan's right on top on us; it's only a matter of time before she catches up!" Eren exclaimed, suddenly two other Scouts shot past the Female Titan, their blades drawn ready to strike but it was all too likely that they too would end up like every other brave Scout who dared take on this Titan "No!" yelled Eren "It's the back-up, if we don't act now they'll be killed!"

"Eyes forward, Eren!" ordered Gunther

"You can't be serious Gunther!" yelled Eren

"Keep going, full speed ahead!" ordered Eld

"Eld, please!" pleaded Eren "if we don't kill this thing than those men are going to die, if Levi squad can't stop them then who can?" one of the Scouts flew straight in front of the Female Titan, he positioned his blades ready to strike at its eyes but was suddenly crushed into a nearby tree, his blood staining it's bark. "Another one!" yelled Eren "He didn't have to die, we could have saved him!" he scanned the faces of his squad mates; all he saw was their grim and guilty expressions as they continued their evasion of the Female Titan "There's still one more, we can save him!"

Petra turned to face him with a look of harden determination "Eyes forward Eren! That's an order!"

"How can you all be alright with leaving our comrades to die!" responded Eren "You're telling me just to let him die!"

"Yes damn it, now do as you're told!" responded Petra angrily

"Why! Why are we leaving our comrades to die!" questioned Eren

"If the Captain doesn't want to say then he doesn't need to!" responded Oluo "Now shut up and act like a soldier!"

Eren gritted his teeth, he turned to face the lone Scout battling the Female Titan and he then had a sudden epiphany _I don't need them…_ he thought _I can take down this Titan on my own, I can save this soldier without them… I don't need anyone's help… I'll make her pay for all the lives you've taken…_ Eren clenched his fist and raised it to his right hand to his mouth and prepared to bite down.

"Eren stop!" yelled Petra "You were only to assume Titan form if you're life was in danger, you promised us!" she looked at Eren with the look of someone who was feeling betrayed, Eren ignored her and continued, his teeth now pressing down on his skin "Eren!"

"Look Eren," said Levi "If you want to do it than go ahead, I won't stop you and neither will the rest of your squad mates" his words stunned everyone, Eren lowered his hand from his mouth slightly, saliva hanging from his teeth to the bottom of his thumb "Listen you're not a monster because you can transform into a Titan, no it's because its seems as though you're never truly in control and whether it's a matter of choice is the question… Look Eren the difference between you and us is experience, but if you believe that we're in the wrong than go ahead, the choice is yours; you can put your faith in yourself or you can put it in your comrades each of whom is willing to lay down their life for you." Eren had lowered his hand from his face as he listen to Levi "I don't which is better if I'm truly honest… should I put my trust in my own abilities or my comrades? Either way it's something we don't know, just hope you've chosen the path with least regret." Eren gasped slightly at what Levi was saying, he looked back at the Female Titan and the lone Scout who just managed to dodge a swipe being made at him, he didn't have a lot of time left; if he doesn't act now, that Scout will end up dead, he raised his clenched hand back up to his mouth and prepared to bite down…

"Eren…" said Petra softly, catching his attention, a look of desperate pleading in her eyes "trust us…" Eren stared back at her, the scars of the bite mark quickly caught his eyes and he remembered

 _That's right… these guys have put their faith in me and I was just about to throw it away…_

"Trust in us…" said Petra, he turned his head once more to face the Female Titan, he watched as the lone Scout fired his cables into its back and reeled himself forward to strike

"Eren!" yelled Levi aggressively "enough stalling! Make up your damn mind!"

"I'm with you!" declared Eren, much to the relief of his squad mates, his concentration was suddenly broken my a blood curdling scream of terror, he turned his head to watch the lone Scout in the grips of the Female Titan get smeared across one of the large trees, colouring the tree a dark read. Eren quickly looked away from the terrible sight _Please forgive me…_ The Female Titan then began to accelerate its speed, lowering its back, its legs making long strides as it sprinted towards them.

"She's gaining on us!" yelled Gunther

"Full speed ahead!" ordered Levi "She won't catch up!"

Eren looked upwards to see the Female Titan reach out her hand towards her; he stared into her blue eyes.

"Everyone, move away from the middle!" ordered Levi, the squad then shifted to the sides of the road

 _I'm so close... Just a little further and I'll finally be free of this hell, screw the Elrics they were never the objective anyway…_ Eren was practically almost at her finger tips, just right there for the taking…

They ran into the entrance an open space, almost instantly they noticed the mass of Scouts hanging at the braches and a lone hooded Scout was standing in the middle of the path with their hands pressed together…

"Now!" yelled Erwin

The lone Scout slammed their hands onto the ground suddenly a large stone spike jutted from the instantly jutted from the ground piercing through the Female Titan's stomach impaling her, the force of which swept her off her feet momentarily, Levi squad quickly moved past the lone Scout, the gust of wind pulled back the hood revealing their blond hair and long ponytail…

 _Ed...?_ Thought Eren as he passed by him _But I thought…_

Another hooded Scout quickly reeled himself down from the branch and behind the Female Titan, the two of them clapped their hands together and slammed them into the ground, suddenly a flurry of stone hands hastily rose from the ground in the space around them and headed straight towards her, trying to quickly act after her momentary shock of the ambush she tried to swat them away but she was too late; they grabbed her and wrapped its fingers around her ankles, her shins, her wrists, her forearm, her lower arm, her waist, her upper arm, one hand grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head downwards slightly exposing her nape.

 _Damn it! I can't move… I can't cover my nape…_ A crystal substance than began to form around her nape in absence of her not being able to cover it with her hand, Ed fired his cables into the arm of one of the hands than held her in place, he reeled himself up to her eye level and looked into her piercing blue eyes, she stared back at him, her blood boiled as she got a good look at the insufferably smug expression on his face.


	22. Chapter 22: Was it Necessary?

**Chapter 22: Was it Necessary?**

Levi drew his blade from his scarab as he observed the Titan's crystal covered nape, readying himself for the moment to create an opening and drag out the monster that killed so many good Scouts. After getting a good look at the face of the Female Titan, Ed reeled himself onto the branches of one of the nearby trees, he observed his and Alphonse's handy work in capturing the Female Titan, but still there was this uneasy feeling in his gut about the fact that a lot of good people had to die in order to capture her, Alphonse reeled himself up to the branch Ed was standing on.

"Looks like we managed to capture it" said Alphonse

"Yeah" Ed replied "Still the idea that so many people dying just to pull this off doesn't sit well with me."

"I feel the same brother" replied Alphonse "When I first heard he talk back at the Courtroom he reminded me bit of the colonel and how'd he tried and sway people to his side, but I think there's one big difference between them."

"Oh yeah, what's that?" asked Ed curiously as they both looked at Erwin who was solely concentrated on thr Female Titan

"I don't think Mustang could or would sacrifice the men underneath him to achieve his goals." Stated Alphonse

"Not just yet, Levi" ordered Erwin "A little more insurance, First wave! Fire!" quickly the area was lit up by the blinding light of explosions as a series of harpoons were fired into the exposed areas of the Female Titan which weren't restrained by the stone hands transmuted by Ed and Alphonse, the sharp harpoons pierced it's skin and into its flesh, focused around the back and its stomach and chest, the loud bangs echoed through the empty forest.

* * *

"Hey Armin" called Jean after they moved away from a Titan which was attempting to climb the trees "I think I just figured out why we've been told to keep these Titans out of the forest; we're luring that Female Titan into a trap." Armin took a sharp intake of breath as Jean came to the same conclusion he'd figured out not so long ago. "That's probably why they're keeping it under the wraps from us and why the officers are so jumpy, of course that means there could be people working for the Titans."

"I think so" replied Armin "and I'd assume so does the commander; Eren's powers suggest that it's possible for humans to control Titans then the most logical assumption after that is that there could be Titan spies trying to destroy the walls from within and if we were able to lure out of them out and capture them we could gain the answers about the Titans the Scouts have been looking for since their founding."

* * *

"It doesn't make sense" said Eren to his squad mates as they waited on the branches for the signal "how could they keep you guys in the dark about something like this, not telling me is something I can understand, but why not you guys?"

"Could you just shut up." Ordered Oluo

"Are you telling us that the Captain and the Commander kept this secret from us because they don't trust us?" accused Petra

"No...Um... Actually yes, it's the only way it makes sense!" retorted Eren

"Kick the brat's teeth in, will you Petra?" growled Oluo pointing his blade at Eren, frustrated by Eren's reasoning "He can grow them back anyways!"

"The kid's got a point." Interjected Eld "neither the Captain nor the Commander told us about this, but I willing to bet only a select few know about it, my guess is only the members from five years ago."

"Oh, well that makes sense…" said Gunther

"Although…" continued Eld scratching his stubble "It seems as though Ed and Alphonse were the only exception to this, what with their part in the Female Titan's capture, so it leads to the question; why did they trust them but not us."

"Preposterous" replied Oluo in denial "and if that were true it would nothing short of a madness to allow two rookies in on something like that."

"Perhaps it had something to do that odd question the Commander asked me, just after we arrived to see Sonny and Bean…" added Petra, trying to find reasoning for withholding this kind of information

Eren thought back to that moment ' _what is it that you see? Who do you think the real enemy is_?' "So that's what he meant" Eren muttered to himself

"I'm guessing that somehow the Ed and Alphonse answered the question correctly and got in on the mission" said Eld "Of course how could they figure out the answer if we couldn't…"

"Speak for yourself, I managed to figure it out but I decided to keep the answer to myself" Bragged Oluo "though I'm sure you must have figured out my reason"

 _Bullshit…_ "Which is?" questioned Petra unimpressed

"You really don't know?" said Oluo in a condescending manner "Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised though I'm sure you'll understand once you reached my level of intellect."

Petra sighed "Look if you're trying to copy the Captain I've got news for you; that's not how he talks."

 _If we succeed in capturing whoever is controlling this Titan…_ thought Eren _but still… so many people died in order for us to get to where we are, was it really worth it?_

* * *

"Leaving us all out of the loop like that, it wasn't right" said Jean as he and Armin watched the Titan crash into the ground "Why risk the lives of your men? Even the squad Eren's in got caught off guard."

Armin thought back to when Squad Leader Ness and the veteran Scout were crushed in the palms of the Female Titan, it was all too likely that there were more Scouts killed by her hands _was it really worth it…_ "What the Commander did was necessary." Stated Armin

"What? Do you have any idea how many people had to die needlessly for this?" questioned Jean exacerbated by Armin approval of the Commander's tactics

"I know, Jean" replied Armin "But you have to think of it this way; everything can be easily judged in hindsight, but at the time he didn't know what could happen and make considerations like the Titan's identity, their abilities, their knowledge and whether they were acting with others, if in the end we manage to capture the Titan shifter then the ends would have justified the means." Jean stood taking in everything Armin said at a complete loss at what to argue back with "What the Commander did was terrible, maybe inhuman but it's completely necessary, I may not have experienced everything, but if there's one thing I'm of is that those who are able to make change are the ones who are willing to accept that they can't hold on to holds them back, in other words, the only way we can defeat monsters is to abandon our own humanity and if you're not willing to do that, then you're not able to change anything."

* * *

"He'd probably say it was all worth it… to capture the other shifter; sacrifice his men in order to get the answer they wanted" Said Ed, trying to get into Erwin's head

"But why?" questioned Alphonse "why is the choice either sacrifice the lives of good people to capture one person or not sacrifice them at the cost of capturing the shifter, why do we have to make a choice like this? Why couldn't we capture the shifter and not sacrifice the lives of those men? If we're willing to do something like this in order to achieve our goals, then what exactly is off limits?" Ed listen, he thought back to when Shou Tucker talked about what he said 'needed to be done' in the name of science "Even when the situation is dyer, even when it calls for it, there has to be a limit to what we should do; otherwise we might end up sacrificing the one thing that separate us form them." He finished as he stared at the captured Titan.

* * *

"At we don't have to order more gunpowder in the budget next time around." Joked Hange as she fired a series of harpoons into the Female Titan's behind "Look at you, I bet you can't so much as twitch, can you? And the best part, the more your wounds close up the more ridged your joints, I can't imagine the pain of having a spear shoved through your guts, dozens of harpoons lodged across your body and I'm sure those hands aren't particularly loose either… still I wonder what's taking Levi and Mike so long."

Squad Leader Mike and Captain Levi swooped down from their branches with their blades drawn and ready they struck the nape as they descended down upon her, they swung their blades pushing all the force they could into it, but it was no use; their blades shattered in pieces coming into contact. Levi watched in both shock and frustration at their seemingly futile attempt to reach the shifter within. Mike reeled himself up to a branch nearby Commander Erwin, he presented his stub damaged blades and shook his head, while Levi reeled himself onto on the Female Titan's head.

 _So, she can harden areas of her body with an impenetrable substance_ though Erwin as he observed the Female Titan _Similar to the accounts of the Armoured Titan_ he watched as the crystal like substance began to crack and chip away slightly from her nape _though it looks as though she can't sustain it, we could be able to cut our way through with enough strikes, however we don't have the luxury of time for that, we could fire an artillery round or…_ "Edward!" he called out

Ed fired the wired from his ODM gear and zipped over to Erwin "Yeah?" asked Ed

"Hange had told me that the building material of the walls was similar to a diamond like substance, is that correct?"

"Yeah, that's right." Replied Ed, he took a look at the Female Titan's nape and the crystal like substances covering it, he instantly released what Erwin was asking him to do, Ed looked back at him and nodded as if to say if got the meaning of the question.

"When I give the signal…" he then raised his hand to signal Mike, Mike lifted himself up to Erwin's branch "On my command you and Levi are to strike at the Female Titan's neck." He ordered, Mike nodded, fired his cables onto a higher branch and reeled himself upwards.

Levi tapped his foot on Female Titan's head as he stood on her, taunting her "You can make this a lot easier on us if you just came out." He said in an intimidating tone "we don't all day… you're probably thinking about a way to escape, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there isn't one, how' bout you focus on all the lives you've taken today though I'm sure you enjoyed it, well that's alright; because I'm going to enjoy the moment I get to cut your limbs off, of course I mean your real ones and I'm we don't need to worry about it; they will grow back anyways" he said Icily "Are you alright with that?"

 _No… I'm not alright with that…_ suddenly the Female Titan opened its opened its mouth, letting out a ear-splitting high pitched roar which seemed to shake the very earth beneath them, everyone covered their ears in a hasty attempt to muffle the roar slightly, the very force of the roar send a strong gust of wind in every direction, blowing leaves off of branches and cloaks fluttering violently. It echoed across the whole forest, everyone within the vicinity could hear it loud and clear. The Female Titan shut its mouth, leaving only the faint echo travelling across the forest.

"Huh… for a second you almost got me…" said Levi in an icy manner

"Was that some kind of death screech?" asked one of the Scouts still covering his ears

Mike quickly lowered himself down to Erwin "They're coming" he said, a sense of urgency in his voice "I smell them, a lot of them."

"What direction?" asked Erwin

"Every direction!" replied Mike

Erwin's eyes widen as he heard the sound of loud rapid footsteps approaching their direction

"Ed, destroy the Female Titan's shield, now!" commanded Erwin

"Titans coming from the east!" warned Mike as he spotted three Titans heading towards them

"Wagon defence squad, intercept!" Ordered Erwin, three Scouts fired their cables in the direction of the incoming Titans hoping to lure them away and take them down, however as soon as they got within range, the three Titans passed them, completely ignoring the incoming Scouts

"What the…" said one of them

"Captain Levi!" yelled another Scout

Levi stomped on the Female Titan's head "Hey!" he yelled "what the hell did you do? Tried to call for back up, huh?" he then turned to face the incoming Titan, he readied his blades, holding the handles to them like knives as he shot himself towards two of the Titans, killing them in quick succession.

A four meter Titan ran up to the Female Titan and bit into her leg, Erwin was stunned, he had never seen a Titan devour its own before _they're eating her…_ his mouth open slightly in shock as he saw the massive horde about to descend upon their position.

"Titan coming from all directions" warned a Scout

Ed and Alphonse watched in terrified shock as a massive wave of Titans charged towards the shifter Titan.

"You're not getting away that easily!"" Yelled Ed, quickly his shock was overcome with a sense of determination, he slammed his hands together and then onto the truck of the tree; thick long wooden bars burst from the tree and periced through the bark Of the neighbouring tree to form a barrier. The oncoming titans crashed into it, stretching out their arms through the gap towards the Female Titan " Al, close the other gaps!" Alphonse leapt from the tree branch and fired his cables onto the next one, copying Ed he closed off the other entrances. The Titans slammed into the wooden bars holding them back trying desperately to reach the shifter, however some had slipped past and charged towards the Female Titan, crashed into the stone hands and sunk their teeth into its flesh.

"All squads commence combat!" ordered Erwin "eliminate the remaining Titans before they devour the Female Titan!"

"Hang back Al" said Ed as they tried to catch their breath "looks like they'll handle it from here"

The mass of Scouts who waited in the trees then descended onto the few Titans that passed through; Mike pluged his blades into the a fifteen meter's naps and tore through its flesh, Levi effortlessly sliced through the nape of a ten meter before seemingly eliminating the seven meter Titan right next it. Moblit shoved his blades into the eyes of the thirteen meter Titan, the monster staggered back confused allowing Hange to go in for the kill. All around the Female Titans it's mindless allies were being slaughtered to the last monster.

 _You sons of a bitch..._ thought the Female Titan angirly as she glared at both Edward and Alphonse, ever since they arrived all they've done was make their work ten times more complicated; they were a barrier in her way and one she's been told not to eliminate but capture on top of Eren _I really hope you're worth this..._

Levi landed onto the large branch Edward and Alphonse stood on "Not bad" he complement them, though his voice never changed from its tone of calm authority they pretry accustomed to "Good to see you two are taking the initiative on stopping them." he was impressed not by their skill or ability but because they knew something had to happen and had the confidence in themselves to make that call, perhaps in time those two might rub off on Eren.

Erwin scanned his surrounding; he watched as the Titans outside the cage of trees tried to reach out for the Female Titan _we can worry about how we're going to leave afterwards_ he turned his head back onto the Female Titan _right now you're our main priority "_ Edward, retrieve the Female Titan shifter" he ordered _Time to find out who you really are..._

Ed leaped from the branch and fired his cables onto the Female Titan's nape "I'd hate to be you right now" he said with a cocky smile, he placed his hands together and placed them onto the crystal covering her nape, the crystal shattered into pieces leaving the nape unprotected. Ed lifted his sword to the side ready to slice open an entrance to the shifter when suddenly the sound of a loud creak stopped him, he turned his head to the side and noticed the Titans on one side were now pushing themselves up against the wooden bars. Then the sound of wood splintering caught everyone attention, they turned to see one of the barriers snap in half.

"Oh shit..." said one of the Scouts

"Ed retrieve the Female Titan now!" Yelled Erwin, Ed quickly slashed his blade only to find the the crystal coating had once more appeared, the Female Titan has taken advantage of his split second confusion, and his blade shattered on impact. Before he could remove the crystal the wooden barriers which separated the Female Titan from the others all caved inwards and a mass horde of Titans flooded into the empty space.

"Ed!" Yelled Alphonse as he watched the titans descend onto his brother's position, Ed aimed his wires at one of the Titans when suddenly someone grabbed him by the collar of his brown waist coat, reeled them both upwards and thrown him onto one of the branches

"you can't take on a horde you idiot" said Levi

"All squads commence combat!" Ordered Erwin "defend the Female Titan at all costs!"

The mass of Scouts once more descended into the Titans; both Edward and Alphonse quickly joined inas they jumped off their branches and on to the napes of on ominous Titans. Ed sliced at the nape of one of a ten meter Titan while Alphonse cut into the nape of a twelve meter. Unlike the last battle this one was chaotic; it was too late to hold back the tide of titans, large clouds of smoke filled the space as the Scouts tried desperately to protect the Female Titan and the bodies of fallen Titans began to litter the area. Erwin watched as the efforts of his soldiers and his became in vain as the Titans tore the Female Titan to the bone; hot blood splattered into his left cheek as he saw the scene fold.

"All squads withdraw! He ordered "Redeploy the formation, return to Karanes district!" they all quickly fell back to the safety of the high branches as they watched the remaining Titans devoured what was left of the carcass.

Ed and Alphonse landed back on the same branch, instantly sitting down as they attempted to catch their breath; both of them were stained in Titan blood, the streaks of blood on their uniform and faces felt hot as it evaporated off them and their blades were dripping with Titan blood. Ed's grip on the handle tighten and slammed the butt of it into the tree "Damn it!" he yelled in frustration, it had seemingly all been for nothing; the planning, all the time and energy…and the loss of so many people… he had thought that after the expedition they'd be closer to sealing the hole and heading back home, instead it looked as though they'd hadn't made any progress and could be set back a step or two.

"We've been beaten…" said Erwin

"Don't give me that crap" replied Levi angrily

"Think about it…" Erwin responded "the enemy was prepared to make sacrifices, considerable ones, even allowing themselves to be cannibalised for the sake for keeping their identity unknown."

"All that talk in the courtroom and this is what we have to show for it except the heavy losses?" asked Levi frustrated "If we return like this Eren and the Elrics are as good as dead."

"Well cross that path when the time comes" replied Erwin "right now our main priority is returning without having further causalities being inflicted upon us." Erwin stood; still staring at the horrific scene before them _This steam only makes matters worse_ he thought _It'll be difficult to spot a smoke signal through this…_ he then thought back to the reports of the Colossal Titan and how large amounts of steam would emanate from it, that's when it hit him _is it possible?_

"I'm heading back to my squad…" mentioned Levi

"Not just yet, Levi" said Erwin, stopping Levi in his tracks "Ed, Alphonse!" he yelled, both of them zipped over to Erwin "Ed I need you to relay the events of what happened back to Levi's squad, Alphonse you link back with Nanaba and the other squad leaders tell them about what happened, you'll both link back with Wagon defence squad in the formation, understood?"

"Yes sir" replied Alphonse, while Ed nodded his head, they both looked at each other and gave the other a give nod

 _I'll see you soon, Al_

Erwin turned his head to face Levi again "Levi, you'll replenish your blades and gas."

"We haven't got time for that" stated Levi "I've got enough as it is."

"That's an order." Replied Erwin in an authoritative tone

"Yes sir." Said Levi unenthusiastically "I trust you know what you're doing…" he then went off,as Edward left he turned back to see Levi going with the other Scouts.

Blue flares were shot into the sky, signalling a withdraw from the area and a retreat back to Karanes district

* * *

The 104th looked up into the sky as they caught view of an extremely welcome sight; blue flares reaching up into the clouds

"Looks like we're done here" said Nanaba "We'll head back to the horses."

"Understood." Replied Krista as bravely as possible

"What?" gasped Jean in shock as he and Armin both stared at the blue flares wide eyed "It's over?"

"Oh thank you God!" exclaimed Connie as a wave of relief washed over him "We're getting out of here", Reiner and Bertholdt watched the flares in the sky with a great sense of unease, Sasha breathed a sigh of relief while Mikasa waited for her next orders to come in, Mina softly smiled to herself; proud that she made it through her first expedition.

* * *

"Thank you Eren" said Petra as they soared though the air back towards their horses once they caught sight of the signal to withdraw

"Wha- but I didn't do anything…" replied Eren confused

"You trusted us, remember?" she replied "It's because of that we're able to capture the Female Titan, I know it must have been a difficult choice."

"Quit coddling him, Petra." Said Oluo "All he did was whine till he was blue in the face, listen kid this mission isn't over till we're back home, but I'll generously give credit where it's due surviving your first expedition is a success within itself it guess."

"Yes sir." Replied Eren belatedly

"Quit bragging, Oluo" laughed Eld "Last time I remember you and Petra both pissed yourselves on your first expedition."

Petra let out a pained scream, she looking absolutely mortified "Why are you outing me? I wasn't the one who was acting like an ass!"

 _Wait What!_ Thought Eren

"You imbecile!" yelled Oluo "I'm the only one in this squad who has a kill count second only to Captain Levi!"

"Kill counts don't make a soldier, Oluo" retorted Eld smiling

"So were you guys on your horses when it happened or using your ODM gear?" asked Eren innocently

"Save the banter for later!" yelled Gunther "And for the record my shorts have always been dry." That's when he spotted a green flare in the sky "Must be a signal from Captain Levi."

* * *

Ed looked up into the clouds, he stood on the branch of one of the trees as he observed the two green fading lines of smoke in the sky _That's strange…_ he thought _the Captain shouldn't be there, last time I saw him he was with the others, but then who the hell…._ Then it hit him and his eyes widen at the sudden realisation _the spy!_ He quickly lurched forward from the branch; he fired his cables onto two nearby trees and swung himself forward, using his gas to accelerate himself, if those fading flares were anything to go by then it must have been maybe a minute and the spy must of made caught up with the rest of Levi squad by now. As soon as his hooks detached from the trees Ed caught sight of a bright explosion in the distance, almost identical to the one that occurs when Eren transforms _it's the Female Titan!_ He frantically began jolting himself forward all the while hoping he wasn't too late to stop the enemy shifter, he soon caught sight of her, the Female Titan, and she was leaning up against a large tree with her arms dangling lazily by her sides as three Scouts zipped around her like hawks circling their prey. Ed felt a wave of relief came down on him _Looks like they've got this_ …

"I'll carve up your nap-" yelled Eld but just as he came close to her neck with his blades ready to strike, the Female Titan quickly turned in his direction, caught him into her mouth and bit down; cutting his body in half with his torso falling onto the ground which was quickly followed by the upper half of his body which got spat out by the Female Titan

Oluo and Petra looked on in horrified silence, Eren quickly spun back around towards the rest of his squad and Ed hung from the truck of a large tree with his mouth agape and eyes widen aghast at the terrible scene.

"Eld!" cried Petra, the Female Titan then stood up and faced Petra who was trying to put as much distance between her and the Female Titan, the Titan then began to give chase to a now panicking Petra, she cried out in terror as the Female Titan leapt off the ground and raised her foot above her.

"Urgh!" she cried in pain.

She felt a sharp pain in left side of her body, as if something from the ground had violently struck her and pushed her to the right side, she crashed onto the ground, her head hitting the ground and knocking her unconscious …just missing the large foot of the Female Titan that had come down almost right next to her.

The Female Titan looked at the broken chunks of mud and rocks that she had crushed rather than the Scout she was aiming for; she turned her head to the left and saw Ed kneeling on the ground with both his hands on in the dirt, they both looked at each other and exchanged death glares.

 _You've been a real pain, Edward._

 **"** **Die!"** yelled Oluo, seeing his chance to kill the Female Titan and save Petra, he struck his blades against her neck. But it didn't work; his blades shattered into tiny pieces as it violently impacted the crystal substance around her nape "What the hell… my blades…"

 _Yelling before an attack isn't a very smart thing to do…_ The Female Titan quickly spun around stuck his back with a hard left kick; sending him crashing into nearby trees, his body leaving a red stain on them. Both Ed and Eren stared at Oluo mangled body lying on the grass horror-struck; almost all of Levi squad were now dead.

 _I made the wrong choice…_ Eren zipped towards the Female Titan; he raised his hand to his mouth _I wanted to believe in my squad mates_ "I'm going to kill you!" he yelled, Eren bite down into his hand; his canines piercing into his hand as hot tears stung his face. A blinding bright explosion appeared just below the tree line, near to the Female Titan. A familiar ear-piercing roar rang through the air as Ed watched a familiar muscular fifteen meter oily black hair and bright green eyed Titan pinned the Female Titan to the ground with a look of murder in its eyes.


	23. Chapter 23: Pyrrhic victory

**Chapter 23: Pyrrhic victory**

Ed watched on, holding an unconscious Petra in his arms, as Eren's Titian struck the ground hard with his right hand, just missing the Female Titan's head, the force of the impact had shook the earth around them, the bone in his arms jutted outwards from his flesh and he raised his hand upward to revel His mangled and bloodied hands. Ed fired the cables up onto one of the branches of a nearby tree, still holding onto Petra with one arm, he placed her down gently with her back against the truck, he turned back to face the two Titans; Eren landed another blow into the ground, missing the Female Titan's head again, he raised his left hand, it was dangling from his wrist; the bones looking to be completely shattered, clouds of steam poured out from their bodies as they repaired themselves.

 _Damn it Eren!_ Thought Ed _can't you hit straight?_ The Female Titan was fast, dodging his attacks at such close range, had that punch connected then the fight would have been over. Eren's Titan then leaned in closer to the Female Titan, their faces were maybe a meter apart, and let out a ferocious roar Eren then moved back his hands, eyes and mouth were twitching rapidly. Ed knew this wasn't good; Eren didn't look as though he was completely focused on Female Titan or completely in control and was leaving himself open for an attack. The Female Titan then grabbed Eren's right arm and free herself, Eren tried to punch her again but missed a third time, he was then kicked in his stomach and sent flying into a tree. _She's a skilled fighter_ observed Ed _and he's too erratic to land a hit_ the Female Titan got back up to its feet, she turned to face Eren who was just about to deliver another punch but just barely miss its target; the fist grazing her face, Eren threw another punch with his left hand but she dropped to the ground and yet again dodged thee attack. Ed gripped the handles of his ODM gear tightly; it would be suicide if he tried to get in the middle of this fight but he knew that if things kept going as they were Eren would likely lose this fight.

He turned to face Petra again "Hang tight, Petra" he said "I'll be back." He then leapt from the branch and onto the ground. Eren's Titan let out another ear-piercing roar as it once more tired to punch the Female Titan and once more she dodged the on-coming attack. His Titan launched an array of punches, each one missing its target, she watched as Eren's Titan prepared to swing with his right arm as he moved it back, she was about to side step to the right when she suddenly realised something was holding her feet in place; she quickly looked down to see two dirt and rock hands holding her ankles. Hardening her ankles she quickly managed to break free of one of them but was too late to break the other; she was dealt a hard right blow to the cheek which sent her flying into a nearby tree, her back colliding with the truck. She quickly tried to get back on her feet only to realize her left foot was broken, Eren's Titan charged forward towards her with it right arm pulled back ready to deal another blow, she knew that with a broken ankle she couldn't dodge this attack and needed to strike first; she raised her fists to her face and limped forward slightly, she harden her hands and was about to go for a right hook to Eren's jaw as he came in range, but as her arm dipped she felt a large hand grabbing and holding it in place, she was unable to counter the devastating right hook from Eren and was punched into the ground.

 _That damn bastard…_ she thought as she lay on the ground using her right eye she could see Ed looking at her with an angry yet pleased look on his face. The left side of her won face had almost caved in _I'm going to enjoy hurting you when I'm through with him…_ Eren rolled her onto her back and pinned her to the ground once more, he reeled his left arm back to launch the killing blow.

 _I'm going to finish this…_ Eren thought _I'll rip you out of your neck and I'll tear you apart with my bare hands!_

She then felt a shackle being formed around her neck to hold her in place, Ed watched on, his hands placed in the dirt as the Female Titan struggled to move her head to dodge the attack, he was going to enjoy watching Eren pummel the Female Titan; she had brutally killed so many good people mercilessly and now it looked as though justice was about to be dealt. As Eren swung his left arm to finish her off she quickly harden the right side of her face with crystal, destroying his fist upon impact, she then quickly harden her hands, broke the dirt shackle around her neck and punched Eren with her crystal hand; completely destroying his jaw, she pushed him off and quickly got back to her feet, focusing her energy into the broken ankle, she was once more able to walk again. Despite the massive injury, Eren rose to his feet and firmly raised his fists to his face

 _I'm going to end this…_ she raised her fists to her face and shifted her legs into her fight stance; knees bent, left leg forward and right leg back.

* * *

Upon hearing the loud familiar roar echo through the forest, Levi knew that something happened; it was likely that the Female Titan had come into contact with his squad and Eren and they were now engaging in combat, he gracefully glided across the forest… and came upon the bloodied remains of his squad. First it was Gunther dangling from a tree with his nape sliced open and frozen in a state of permanent shock, next it was Eld who was bitten into two pieces; his upper body and torso lying in a pool of his own blood, then it was Oluo whose body lay unnaturally mangled. He pasted each one of their corpses and stared at each one briefly with a stoic look on his face, trying to keep his anger and grief at bay. Then he spotted Petra, she was sitting on one of the branches of a tree, Levi approached her with that same blank faced look, he wondered how she could have gotten here but ultimately didn't want to get his hopes up. He knelt down and placed his fingers on the right side of her neck and felt the soft beat of her pulse; his eyes widen in shock and mouth open slightly for just a second before returning back to normal, he placed his hand on her face and softly rubbed her cheek with his thumb, eliciting a slight pained groan as she opened her eyes slightly to face him.

"Captain…"she said weakly and it was all she could say before falling back into unconsciousness.

He stood back up and leapt off the branch as he continued looking for Eren, Ed and the Female Titan.

* * *

Ed clapped his hands and placed them into the dirt; an array of large fists rose from and ground and headed straight for her, seeing the attack coming she harden her left leg and swung it at the incoming fists; shattering it into large chunks of debris which rained down onto the ground. Ed gritted his teeth; the fight was far from over and it looked as though this time she wasn't going to hold back. "Eren!" yelled Ed, not yet facing him "I don't know if you can hear me but I need you to-" he turned to face Eren and saw that his Titan's expression had changed from killer glares to a look of confused shock.

 _Ann-_ the same devastating kick which destroyed the stone fists had now beheaded Eren's Titan and a nearby tree, Ed rolled to the side to avoid the falling bits of flesh and wood which rained down onto the ground, he quickly got up into a kneeling position and watched as Eren's Titan body collapsed to the ground

"What the hell!" he exclaimed, shocked that Eren didn't even attempt to avoid the attack he then looked back to the Female Titan who was eyeing him, he quickly aimed the handles onto a tree to escape, the hook latched itself onto one of the branches he pulled second trigger… nothing, nothing but pathetic puffs of gas escaped exhaust; he had run out of gas "You've got to be kidding me?" he yelled, he quickly unlatched the hook from the tree and turned to face the Female Titan who was now approaching him.

 _It was a pain having to deal with you… but they'll throw in something extra for when we bring you and Eren back…_

He noticed that the left side of her face was still emitting steam which meant that it was still repairing itself, he practically threw his blades back into the scarab, clapped his hands together and slammed them on the ground; a fist rose from the right side of the Female Titan aiming to strike her in the right side of her face, she saw this coming and countered it with a right-hook from his crystallized hand; smashing it into chunks of rock and dirt, however she didn't see the fist from the left side hit, it didn't knock her off her feet but it was enough to cause her to stumble to back, she quickly regained her composer, she turned her head back to face him and gave him a look of pure frustration, she was just about to pounce on him when the feeling of something sharp entering her nape stopped her.

Levi made a vertical cut into the Female Titan's nape; only deep enough to creating an opening but also not kill the person inside, he plunged his arm into the nape, wincing slightly as he waded through the mush of nerves and flesh, and grabbed hold of what felt like the hood to a person's cloak and with all his strength he pulled that shifter forward out of the opening. She was wearing a Scout's cloak and had blond hair done up in a bun and looked at him with wide shocked blue eyes. Still holding her by her collar he quickly lowered himself onto the ground as the Female Titan body collapsed onto the ground. Mikasa cut an opening into Eren's Titan and pulled him out, lowering a dazed and slightly conscious Eren gently onto the ground. Levi quickly cut off the hands of the female shifter hands, she cried out in pain as she struggle to escape.

"Can someone give me a hand here!" he yelled, Ed then quickly rushed over to him and quickly helped restraint the Titan shifter, as he held down her leg and arm on her left side he stared at her confused; he had seen her before… Mikasa then ran up to them, she stopped dead in her tracks when she caught sight of the shifter

"Annie!" she exclaimed, the person who she had known for three years since the Cadet Crops was a Titan shifter like Eren, except she was working for the Titans, she had killed countless numbers of their comrades and she tried to either kill or kidnap Eren. Pure white hot rage began to build up inside her as she marched over to her and punched Annie square in the face, knocking her out, Mikasa was about to punch her again when Levi stepped in.

"Hey!" he yelled and he pushed her back slightly "Don't make this personal, we still need her alive and coherent" Mikasa looked at Levi with a look of angered frustration "We captured her; the expedition was a success that in itself is enough torture… at least for now." Mikasa let out an angered groan before backing away. Ed looked at Captain Levi, the adrenaline of the fight now beginning to wear off a sudden feeling of grief began to take over his body as he wondered if Levi came upon the bodies of their former squad mates… _people who'd still be alive if I had made it there in time…_

"Ed" said Levi, turning his head to face him "I need her tied up and gagged, is it possible you can make some rope and cloth?"

"Yeah… I can do that." Replied Ed, he then took the boots off of Annie and transmuted them into two sets of leather rope which was wrapped around her ankles and some rope to tie her wrists when they grew back and using the Scout cloak he cut off parts of it and transmuted long and thick stretches of rope which wrapped around her arms, legs and over her mouth.

"Alright" he said to Ed and Mikasa "I'll inform those who need to know that we've managed to captured the Female Titan shifter but other than that you do not tell any of the Cadets; for all they know the mission was a bust and be warned there's likely a bunch of angry locals waiting for us back behind the walls so whatever you do, do not let your emotion cloud your judgement, understood."

"Yes, sir" replied Mikasa

"Understood…" replied Ed

"Good, Mikasa get Petra and bring her back here; we'll replace Ed's gas canisters with hers, Ed you'll carry Petra back to the formation, you'll carry Eren" he said looking at Mikasa "I'll carry her, but first" he then took off his cloak and wrapped it around the upper half of her body; covering her face.

* * *

Just a couple meters outside of the forest the Scouts prepared to return home from their expedition from the interior of Wall Maria and back into the safety of Wall Rose, Mikasa walked up to one of the larger wooden carts, she peered inside to see Eren and Petra lying next to each other, still unconscious, with the Scout cloaks serving as makeshift blankets and pillows for them, she turned her head to left to see an ever-growing long row of bodies covered in white blankets stained with blood lying on stretchers.

Mina carefully held the head of the dead Scout as the person on the horse lowered it to her and other Scout; they quickly moved themselves to the rows of dead Scouts and gently placed this one down on an empty stretcher. This must have been the eighth one that she alone had helped move and there, she stared at the long rows of the fallen and wondered if there would come a day when she'd be wrapped in a white blanket surrounded by her dead comrades. She forced herself to look away and walked back to the other horses carrying more dead bodies when she caught sight of Captain Levi and Ed who were carrying another body wrapped in a white cloth to one of the carts already filled with dead bodies, she wondered if they were carrying the body of a dead squad mate and wanted to honour that person themselves… that's when she saw it move… she gasped slightly as they moved the body into the cart sideways. _I must be imagining things_ she thought _perhaps it was just wishful thinking to believe that with so much death around me; someone might actually be alive…_

Levi stared at Annie as she lay just mere inches away from the bodies of the men and women she killed, he thought about all the ways he could get back at her for killing them… for killing his squad members.

"Hey, you" Levi called out to one of the Scouts who then rushed over to him "You were there when we ambushed the Female Titan?"

"Yes, sir…" replied the Scout, he then looked inside the cart at the body they had dropped off, the realisation hit him instantly "Wait is that-" he was quickly interrupted

"Keep it down" said Levi "And yes, it is. I need you to watch over this cart; that means no one approaches this thing, got that?"

"Yes sir" replied the Scout as he saluted Levi

Inside the forest, Armin, Alphonse and Jean accompanied a squad of Scouts to collect the dead scattered across the forest path, fortunately the Titans in the area had scattered and wandered off away from the Forest which meant they were able to collect their dead here. Alphonse and another Scout lifted the corpse of a Scout killed by the Female Titan and lowered it onto the edge of the cart for Armin and Jean to stack onto the others. Alphonse had never done anything like this; he had heard about the scale of loss that the Scout Regiment suffered from when Commander Erwin told him and now, having to collect the bodies of all these people, the weight on his shoulders began to get heavier; they needed to prevent more death in the future, they needed to plug up that breach in the wall and beat whoever was controlling the Titans.

"I don't think I can ever get use to this" commented Jean as he and Armin lifted another body onto the stack

"I don't think I can either" replied Armin as he looked down on the small stack of bodies

"It seems like death is just right next to us" said Jean solemnly "All I can think about it is who'll be next and when my time is coming up…"

"Just try not to think about it" advised Armin "Something like that is only good for destroying your nerve, just try and ignore it."

"Is this the one?" asked the squad leader, he lifted the white blanket from the body to revel its person, Armin, Jean and Alphonse's attention were caught by the scene

Two other Scouts knelt down next to the body, one had messy blond hair and the other had dark brown hair done up in a short ponytail, both of them began to cry heavily; their tears staining the blood covered white cloth that offered dignity to their fallen comrade "Its… its him…" one managed to force out "Ivan… I'm so sorry…" said the other.

"Hey!" called out the Squad Leader to Alphonse "think you can give us a hand here?" As Alphonse approached another dead Scout he wondered whether there was a better to do this, if these people never had to of died, he lifted the head gently as he helped carry the body over to the cart.

Armin looked upon the corpse being put onto the cart, he would never get use to being around so much death and he wasn't sure whether he could hold on to his sanity doing this, but he knew that if they wanted to defeat the Titans, if they wanted to retake the world outside the Walls and live free from the fear of extinction at the hands of these monsters… then they would need to bare these losses and more.

Levi approached the rows of dead bodies ready to be placed in the wagons, he knelt down beside one of them and lifted up the cloth to reveal the wings of freedom insignia on their right pocket and he took out a knife and cut around the pocket and covered it back up. Ed saw Captain Levi next to one of the dead bodies, he knew instantly that it must have been one of their dead squad mates, he felt the guilt inside him grow _It's my fault… I should have gotten there sooner, I could have beaten her…_ he knew he couldn't let the guilt eat away at him and that he had to apologize for their deaths, he walked up to Captain Levi.

"Captain… I… I wanted to say I'm sorry" Ed said sincerely he lowered his head to the ground "If I had just gotten there sooner I could have-" he was then interrupted by Levi

"Ed, look…" Levi said turning to face him, he placed a hand in his shoulder "There was nothing you could have done, you or Eren, but you managed to save one of your comrades and you held off the Female Titan long enough; be thankful that there's one less body being stacked into these wagons and that the ones who are have meaning to their death."

* * *

Eren violently awoke from his slumber with a gasp for air, he found himself in a large wagon.

"Eren" said a voice from his side; he turned his head to see it was Mikasa "Easy, try not to move." Eren leaned his head forward to see Ed and Alphonse sitting at the base of the wagon with a sombre look on their faces, Ed looked out into the distance while Alphonse stared at the ground; he then turned his head to his other side to see Petra slowly opening her eyes, she too then leaned forward.

"So… you're all awake?" asked Ed as he looked at them

"The Female Titan" Eren asked "What happened?"

"We did it…" said Ed with a sad smile on her face "we caught her, but Eren… there's something you need to know…" Ed then looked to Mikasa as if he wanted her to fill her in on the fact that one of the Cadets Eren had grown up with was a traitor.

"Eren… the Female Titan… is Annie." Said Mikasa

Eren's eyes widen at the revelation he was being told "no… it can't be…" he said weakly "She's our friend, she would never betray us… she can't be the Female Titan…"

"Eren, when we were fighting her back in the forest… why did you freeze up?" asked Ed "I saw your eyes widen… it was like you were shocked by the fighting stance of the Titan." Eren thought back to that fight, Ed was right, he did freeze up when he saw the Female Titan's fighting stance because it was a clear mirror image of Annie's technique.

"No… but it… it just can't…" muttered Eren, he had thought of Annie as a comrade who stood next to proudly as they graduated in the top ten, as his mentor who taught him how to fight and spoke the honest truth about insanity of the system but most of all as one of his friends who he had shared good moments with in their three years; he felt as if his whole world had been turned upside down and everything he thought was right in the world turned out to be wrong, her betrayal had struck him to his core.

"Ed…" said Petra "Oluo… where is he." She asked, she began to recall their encounter with the Female Titan, she remembered Gunther being killed by the shifter in their human form and Eld going in strike at her neck muscle so that they could go for her nape and getting bitten into half, she remembered trying to flee from the as the Titan charged straight for her and was about to stomp on her when something had pushed her out of the way and knocked her out. But she didn't know what happened to Oluo.

"I'm sorry Petra" Ed replied "when I pushed you out of the way, Oluo tried to kill the Female Titan, his blades shattered and… she killed him… I couldn't save him." Petra lay her head back on the folded cloak, she placed her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes as a soft muffled cry escaped her lips and tears ran down her temple thinking about the comrades she had known for years being snuffed out so quickly and all that remained of them was her memories. Ed looked upwards in the direction of the formation and saw the large Walls and abandoned town they had just left a few hours ago come view on the horizon.

The sound of a loud bell rang though the air as the large gate into Karanes opened before them with a low rumble; the Scouts, led by Commander Erwin at the front, walked into the main road. People had gathered around the main road to see them, people peered through windows and crammed themselves into tight spaces to watch a line of battered and bloodied Scouts return from their expedition with looks of pity, resign or frustration.

"Is it me or are there less than there was this morning?" asked an onlooker

"No, there's a lot less…" replied another "must of taking a beating."

"They were acting all tough this morning" commented another "and they're already back?"

"They might as well have not gone at all really." Said another condescendingly

"Just another day in the Survey Corps, all they ever do is waste people's money" said another "bunch a useless idiots if you ask me."

Eren felt his blood boil as he listened to their rude remarks, he painfully began to raise himself up to confront the people making the remarks and Ed clenched his fist tightly trying to hold in his anger as the ignorant on-lookers threw insults at them, to the two of them those people were insulting the good men and women who died to make this damn expedition a success, they were insulting their squad members who had to die to make Annie's capture possible. Ed was about to turn around to face them and give them a piece of his mind.

"Ed… Eren…" said Petra as she too lifted herself up, resting herself against the barrier of the wagon "Don't…" Ed sat back down and sighed, Eren stared back at the two little kids he saw this morning staring at him with eyes filled with awe

"Awesome" exclaimed the young boy "They've taken a beating yet they're still ready to fight! They're real heroes!"

 _I'm not a hero… I couldn't even save my comrades…_ Jean, Reiner, Bertholdt, Connie, Sasha, Krista, Ymir, Armin and Mina walked along the road with a look of bitter disappointment.

"Mina?" called at woman from the crowd, Mina immediately turned towards the sound of someone calling her name and she knew the voice instantly.

"Mom?" she called out as she jogged ahead slightly, she then caught sight of her parents; she ran up to them hugged them both as tears ran down her cheeks, they hugged her back tightly

"I'm so glad you're alright…" said her father

"Petra!" called out a person in the crowd, he ran up to their wagon and onto the side she was leaning on, Petra looked back at the man, her eyes widen as she realized it was her father; she lifted her arm over the barrier and he softly held her hand in his own while he walked alongside the slow moving cart "my sweet little girl, the Captain told me what happened" he said with watery eyes "I'm so sorry about your squad mates, but I'm just so glad you're ok."

Petra tried desperately to fight back the tears in her eyes, but she failed as they rolled down her cheek "Oh dad…" she mumbled as she came to the realization of just how lucky she was, how Eld, Oluo and Gunther's family were now only going to receive the bodies of their loved ones back and she wondered just how heartbroken her parents would be if she returned back to them a lifeless corpse.

"It's alright dear." Replied her dad as he gently wiped away her tears as if she was just a little girl and not the battle-harden Scout veteran she really was.

Annie shut hers eyes as she lay there next to the corpses of her victims listening to the incomprehensible sound of people talking around her, she knew in her heart that this could very well be the end for her, that she had failed to do her part in their mission, she had failed as a warrior and she had failed her father who was waiting for a daughter who may never return home. A single tear rolled down her temple as she fell asleep and hoped to wake up from this nightmare.

 _Annie, I know I can't ask for forgiveness… but please, promise me that no matter what… even if you have to turn the whole world against you, I'll always be there by your side… just promise me… you'll come back to me…_

* * *

Annie awoke to find herself in a cold and dimly lit basement; she was shackled to the wall by metal chains and she had been stripped down to her underwear and the t-shirt she wore underneath her uniform.

She moved her thumb towards her index finger trying to feel for her ring, she quickly remembered that Captain Levi had cut off her hands off back in the forest.

"So you're finally awake…" said a voice to her left, she lifted her head upwards to see who it was; it was Captain Levi on the left holding a sharp and well polished knife in his hands, Squad Leader Hange Zoe to the right and in the center was Commander Erwin Smith sitting down on a chair right in front of her with Squad Leader Mike Zacharias standing behind him .

"So Miss Leonhart" said Erwin, his voice was a mixture of both authority and curiosity "Are you willing to tell us everything we'd like to know?


	24. Chapter 24: Set in Motion

**Chapter 24: Set in Motion**

Just hours after the expedition the Scout Regiment settled into the Military HQ of Karanes; a message was passed around asking for information about the Female Titan from those Scouts, specifically any of the recent recruits, who might have encountered her to head to Hange Zoe's office. In the dimly lit corridor within the Karanes military headquarters Armin sat outside the door to Hange's office, waiting for his turn; he thought back to his encounter with the Female Titan and the more he thought about it the clearer it was to him who the shifter was.

 _I don't want to believe it..._ he thought to himself _and if I do this then... Annie might be as good as dead..._ he clenched his gist tightly as he waited in anticipation for the door to open, his mind now racing with different thoughts _but if Annie's a shifter then does that mean there are spies in the 104_ _th_ _?_

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening; he looked to the side to see Reiner leaving the room

"How was it?" he asked

"She just asked a few questions" replied Reiner "then asked whether there might have been any kind of indication on who it might be."

"What did you say?" asked Armin

"The truth, I have no idea who it is" said Reiner "I was lucky to escape the bitch before she could have killed me, anyway Armin I'm heading off, Hange would like to see you now." Reiner walked off down the hallway and Armin entered the room; it was a large office with book shelves covering the walls, a red rug covering the floor and nicely designed candle holders lighting up the Pom in a warm glow. He saw Hange sitting behind a desk with a stack of papers to her left, a blank piece of paper in front of her and a pen in hand.

"Come in Armin, take a seat" Armin approached her and sat on the chair opposite "You're Eren's friend, yes?"

"That's right." he replied

"He talks about you some times, all good things of course" she said with a smile on her face, her expression then quickly turned stern "Now Armin, I'm going to be straight forward with you, during your encounter with the Female Titan was there anything at all which might have given away her identity? You see we were hoping to capture the enemy shifter however whoever it was managed to escape from us."

 _Why…It… it didn't kill me, it just looked at my face… but why?_

 _Don't let that suicidal blockhead's death be in vain!_

"I may know who the Female Titan is..." said Armin, Hange stared intently at him, before he could answer She quickly left her seat and walked up to the door, she checked outside quickly, turning head from side to side, before closing it shut and taking her place in her seat.

"Go on" she said

"Annie Leonhart" said Armin "she's a graduate of the Southern 104th Cadet Corps and the only one to join the Military Police."

"What gives you the idea that its her?" asked Hange

"During the expedition I watched her kill Squad Leader Ness and another Scout, she then had the opportunity to kill me but she didn't; she just left me when she saw my face and when Jean, Reiner and I confronted her I yelled out Eren's nickname among our class 'suicidal blockhead' and tricked her for a second in believing she'd killed him during the attack on the right-wing who I'm guessing was her target." Hange listened carefully to Armin as he told her about her encounter; she had heard the same account of the event from Jean and Reiner but listening to Armin put it into a whole new perspective.

"Armin, what I'm about to tell is classified information concerning the Female Titan" said Hange "however you must know that once you hear this, there is no going back, so I'll give you an out; you can leave now and forget that we had the last part of this conversation or you can stay and listen but in doing so you'll end up being a part of an operation crucial to Humanity's survival outside of our regular military operations." Armin eyes widen and he suddenly felt nervous at the prospect of him, a recent graduate and Scout recruit, being let in on something far greater than his current responsibilities of being a soldier to Humanity.

"Okay" he said, trying to muster all the courage he had inside him "I want to listen."

"During the expedition, we had captured Annie Leonhart."

On the morning of the first day after the 57th expedition and the capture of Annie Leonhart, Commander Erwin was sent to the Capital to report the events and results of the expedition to a government jury, headed by Commander-in-chief Darius Zackly and attended by a number of Military officials, of which Commander Nile Dok was there, a select few Merchants, Noble men, some central government officials and Religious representatives such as Minister Nick. Erwin sat on the end of a long table facing Darius. He would usually feel exhausted and perturbed when attending these meetings, not that his face would ever show it, in the past he would usually report on the achieving little to no success and the high causalities that had been incurred upon them. But not today, today they had just struck the biggest blow to their enemy since Trost and took a large step forward in finding out the truth. He felt confident in the faces of those who had usually doubted him and the Scout Regiment and after this meeting he knew that his own authority and influence within the military and political structure was now greater than any Scout Commander had ever possessed.

"Commander Erwin Smith" announced Darius "As per the agreement that was discussed at the military tribunal of Eren Yeager and the Elric brothers, you'd show us the results of the mission."

"Of course, premier" replied Erwin "Though our mission for the 57th expedition was to monitor Titan movements in the vicinity of Karanes; the Survey Crops had another objective; capture the enemy shifter within the ranks of the military." There was a collective gasp in the room.

"So Yeager was working for the Titans?" asked one of the Noblemen

"No" responded Erwin "Cadet Yeager served as bait to lure in the enemy shifter for the trap we had prepared, however the enemy shifter had surprised us with an unknown ability, which was being able to summon Titans to her location, we had believed her to have escaped however the enemy shifter had then engaged in combat against Eren Yeager and Edward Elric, they managed to hold her off long enough for Captain Levi to apprehend the shifter; from this its shown that Eren Yeager and the Elric brothers are both assets to efforts of the Scout Regiment and in turn key individuals in the war against the Titans."

"And just who is this enemy shifter?" asked Darius

"It has been made privy to us that the shifter is one Annie Leonhart" revealed Erwin "a former graduate of the 104th Cadet Crops southern division, like Eren, and the only graduate to be a member of the Military Police."

Nile's eyes widen "What? You're telling me the enemy shifter was one of my own soldiers?"

"Yes" replied Erwin "One of the graduates of the 104th who had recently joined the Scouts was there when she was apprehended and was quickly able to identify her to Captain Levi."

"Where exactly are you holding this enemy shifter?" asked Darius "and how sure are you that you can contain her?"

"We have her underground in an undisclosed location, she is being kept under constant supervision and we have only just begun to interrogate her for information." That's when Erwin noticed it… some of the noble men and clergy looked very uneasy, as if they weren't pleased that she had been captured _how odd… "_ You can be assured; we will gather as much information from her as possible." Some of the noblemen and religious clerks began to shift uncomfortable in their seats.

"I propose you hand her over to the central government for execution" said one of the Noblemen to a small choir of yeses from others "She is a traitor to humanity and as such should be dealt with accordingly."

"With all due respect lord" replied Erwin "It would be beyond foolish to execute miss Leonhart; she will provide us with valuable information about the Titans and also the identities of the Colossal and the Armoured Titan, also it isn't your decision to make; it's the Premier's decision on whose jurisdiction she falls under and if I may speak freely."

"Go on…" replied Darius

"It's very likely that whoever the Armoured and the Colossal Titans are, they've likely slipped into these walls during the fall of Shiganshina and the breach of Wall Maria and have infiltrated the ranks of the Military; it is with grave matter and threat to humanity that I ask you to give me the due powers to act accordingly to the threat of the remaining shifters and uncover the truth about our sworn enemy and that we may continue launching expedition beyond the walls from Trost with the aid of Eren Yeager and the Elrics." There was a moment of silence in the room as everyone thought about Erwin's proposal, he observed the nervous faces of the clergy and the noblemen, he knew what he was asking was a tall order but if he were given anything close to what he asked for it would be a victory within itself… _if they challenge this then at least I know they have something to hide about the truth within and outside these walls…_

"Thank you, Commander Erwin" said Zackly "We shall discuss your proposal…"

 _I really hate this guy…_

"Oomph!" Annie was again punched in the gut by Levi as he continued beating her; partly for payback for killing his squad members and comrades but mainly for getting information out her like Erwin asked. Her breathing had become wheezy, her vision was blurry and a river of blood continued to fall from her broken nose and onto the floor.

"If you're thinking about escaping, don't bother; I had the Elrics mess with the walls of the dungeon to make sure you couldn't escape even if you transformed; you'll be trapped like canned meat if you try anything." Said Levi as he looked down on her "You know I can make this a lot easier on you if you just start talking or I can make this even worse, the choice is yours, so tell me; who are the Colossal and the Armoured Titans?" Annie lifted her head up to face him and opened her mouth slightly as if to say something, Levi leaned forward expecting to hear words come out of her mouth, instead Annie used the opportunity to spit blood on his face; the thick red liquid hit just above his left eye and ran down his face, he backed away from her face, still keeping a stone-wall expression all while Annie started to laugh, he walked over to small tray with an array of knifes and surgery equipment and wiped his face with some cloth. "You really shouldn't have done that." Said Levi as he picked up a small surgeon's cutting knife and turned to face Annie "let's see how human you are on the inside…" he said menacingly.

Even from outside the basement door and across the mess hall of the former Scout HQ Hange could still hear the cries of agony from Annie as Levi continued to torture her. A small part of her felt sorry for the young girl and what she was going through, of course every other part of her remembered that she had summarily massacred at least a few dozen Scouts and was very likely the culprit responsible for the death of Sonny and Bean.

She had sent Moblit out to the capital to retrieve some paperwork concerning Annie Leonhart recruitment and the documents of anyone else who might of come from the same district, town or village as her; she had deduced that if she was posing as citizen from Wall Maria then it must be the case that the Colossal and Armoured Titans come from the same area. Suddenly the screaming came to an abrupt end, Hange turned to face the door as Levi walked out of the basement, wiping his hands with a damp blood stain white cloth.

"The little shit passed out from the pain." He remarked "Still refuses to talk about anything; the other shifters, whose she working for, her own Intel on us… we might of hit a dead end with this one."

"Don't give up yet Levi" replied Hange "she's probably assuming that her counterparts will notice her absence and come to her aid, speaking of the other shifters I've asked for the paperwork on Annie and anyone who comes from the same area as her, Moblit should be coming back with Erwin from the capital after his meeting with the government jury."

"If we manage to find out the other two without her help it would at least knock one thing off the list of questions, Erwin said that when he gets back from the meeting with the pigs we'll plan our next steps; which could mean setting up an ambush for the other shifters" said Levi "and hell we can always go with psychological torture if the physical one doesn't work out; name them and trick her into believing her comrades abandoned her." He suggested.

"That's absolutely diabolical, Levi" replied Hange "I like it…"

"So what are the little brats doing?" asked Levi

"They're off duty for now; Ed, Eren and Mikasa are training in the yard last I checked and Armin and Alphonse were there watching them, Ed said something about taking Eren's mind off of Annie."

"And you're not watching them over? And remind me, why we brought the other brat into the fold?" asked Levi about Armin becoming a member to the inner circle, they had to let Mikasa in as she was there during the capture.

"Mike's got an eye on them and the whole castle has a garrison of Scouts now, so they'll be fine" Hange reminded Levi "Also Armin was among the three of the 104th graduates to come into contact with Annie Leonhart, I told them each that the mission was a failure and that the Female Titan go away and then I ask them if they knew who the shifter could be, and out of the three of them, Armin was the only one who knew the answer and brought forth his reasoning, from there I briefed him on what really happened." Informed Hange "He's an incredibly clever individual; could prove useful in the future."

Outside in the courtyard Eren launched a barrage of blows towards Ed while Ed seemingly danced around Eren's attacks; he ducked under as Eren leaned forward and threw a punch straight at him, when he reeled back Ed performed a backwards roll off the ground putting distance between him and Eren. Both of them were breathing heavy as they stared at each other.

"You're pretty fast Ed" commented Eren

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." replied Ed with a proud smile "Now it's your turn to go on the defensive."

Eren raised his arms forward and waited for Ed to charge at him "Ready when you are." Ed ran forward and threw first hits; Eren blocked his attacks using his arms, only trying to dodge an attack once in a while. However Ed was able to pick out openings in Eren's defense and threw some light punches in them. Mikasa watched observing Ed's fighting style; it was similar to Annie's in that it incorporated kicks as well as punches but the movements were more fluid as he made a seamless transition from the throw of a fist to the swing of a leg. While the two of them continued to spar, Alphonse answered Armin's questions about their world; asking all about the different types of environments, the people, the kind of technology, it was an endless barrage of questions.

"The north is the coldest region in Amestris; it snows there often and the environment there is mainly just icy mountains" said Alphonse, pointing it out on a crudely drawn map of Amestris and its five regions "and between the mountains is a valley blocked off by this massive wall fortress made of metal which is meant to keep out an attack from Drachma."

"So have you ever been on top of this massive wall? Is it like our walls?" who's in charge of the wall? Asked Armin

"We've been inside the Wall and I'd say it's about as tall as your walls though not as long" replied Alphonse "The woman in charge is General Olivia Armstrong, she's in charge of all military matters in the North and some people call her the 'Ice Queen'"

"Can she do Alchemy?" asked Armin

"No, but she doesn't need to; I heard she beat her brother, who is a skilled Alchemist, over who would be the head of their family."

"What about the East?" asked Armin, what kind of climate is there and what is the environment like?"

"The east is mainly desert and the climate can be really hot" replied Alphonse "But once you go south you get fields and grasslands which is where the town Ed and I grew up in is; it's a place called Resembool."

"Is there a general in the area too?" asked Armin

"Yeah, we know him" replied Alphonse "he was Ed's superior, back when he was still a State Alchemist. His name was Roy Mustang, he's a State Alchemist too and people call him the 'Flame Alchemist' he could manipulate the density of oxygen in the air and then using a spark from what he called his ignition gloves he could either focus a burst of flames at a target or create an explosion." Armin sat staring at Alphonse, amazed by what he had heard; someone was able to make explosions using Alchemy, this science gave people a huge advantage, it may be one of the main reasons they were able to defeat Annie even when she was in Titan form, this was something useful…and he wanted to be useful.

"Alphonse…" said Armin.

"What is it Armin?" Alphonse asked.

"I'm sorry if I'm asking for too much, but do you think it would be possible if you could teach me how to perform Alchemy? He asked

"Of course Armin" replied Alphonse, smiling at him "I'd he more than happy to." Suddenly the sound of Eren hitting the ground caught their attention; Ed leaned down and offered Eren a hand to get him back on his feet.

"You're pretty good" commented Ed "you managed to hold your own for quite a while."

"Huh, thanks" replied Eren

Mikasa then walked up to the two of them "Hey Ed" she said in tone similar to Captain Levi "mind if you spar against me?"

"Yeah, sure" replied Ed "I'll go on the defensive"

"Fine by me" replied Mikasa

Ed gave her a cocky smile "Hope you're not gonna hold back" he said as he took up his fighting stance "Alright, come at me with everything you've got-" next thing he knew he was lying flat on his back staring up into the sky and Mikasa walking away. It was insane; it was almost like at that exact moment she went to strike him she knew exactly what to do and when to do it and on top of that she was crazy strong, the kind of strength Captain Levi had.

"Hey!" called out Mike who was watching the group from the castle walls "Commander Erwin's back" Alphonse walked over to Ed and helped him up onto his feet as Eren, Mikasa and Armin walked around to the entrance of the castle's main building.

"So, has Miss Leonhart said anything of interest yet?" asked Erwin as he walked up to their table

"Nothing so far" replied Levi "I'll keep trying but we may have to shift to other methods at some point."

"So be it." Responded Erwin

"So did you end up getting what you wanted?" asked Levi as Erwin sat down in the same table as him, Hange and Moblit in the large hall "Or did the central government blue ball you?"

Erwin smirked at Levi's remark "It's a bit of a mixed bag, but there is more good news than bad" he replied "Good news is I've managed to get more funding both from the central government and from some of the merchants."

"I imagine the reason why some of the merchants now support us is because with the news of our latest victory it would be a boon to them to say that they backed the Scouts when we defeated the Titans and with the prospect of retaking Wall Maria looking more realistic they'll be able to do business back in the lost land; they see us as an investment." Theorized Hange

"I don't care if they see us as a means to making more money" said Levi "More funds for us means better equipment which means less dead men."

"One of them has also given us access to their R&D department, which means you'll get the support and resources to create that prototype Automail, Hange" continued Erwin "Of course it was on the condition that they'd get to be the sole producers." There was a twinkle in Hange's eyes and a small smile on her lips as Erwin told her. "On the powers grant; I can't act with impunity and there is a limit to who I have the authority to apprehend; the central government, the noble lords, the aristocrats, the military brass and the more high ranking members of the Wall cultists are off limits under the reasoning that the shifters haven't infiltrated the highest levels of government but I suspect there's another reasoning behind it and I do have the power to act above local authority but not the central government and that's only in the case of apprehending the shifters, this all does however depend on whether I can justify using it for the good of humanity."

"They probably know about the Wall Titans." Replied Hange "But I guess this means Minister Nick is off limits then."

"Less we can find a way for him to say it out in the open which would justify a possible apprehension of someone outside my boundaries, then I'm afraid so." said Erwin "We'll have to work our way through the hierarchy of the church and find someone who has the relevant information while being in my jurisdiction."

"That'll take too long" said Levi "By the time we do find this person they'd already of caught on to what we're doing and strip you of your powers."

"Which is why I'd advise we exercise extreme caution going forward" replied Erwin "Now, was there anything else?"

She then turned to her assistant "Moblit, do you have the papers I asked for?"

"Right here, squad leader" he replied as he handed her an envelope containing the documents. Hange opened the envelope to reveal three pieces of documents; she flicked through the first one which was Annie Leonhart and focused her attention of the names of the next two

"Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover, recent former graduates and members of the 104th Scout Regiment" said Hange as she read their names from their enlistment papers "these two could be the other shifters."The creak of the door caught their attention as Mike, followed by Eren. Armin, Mikasa, Ed and Alphonse entered the hall.

"Welcome." greeted Erwin "have a seat around the table, there is much to discuss." Eren, Mikasa and Armin sat down, Ed and Alphonse grabbed some spare chairs and stood over them. "Let's get straight to business, shall we? It looks as though we may have uncovered the identities of the Armoured and Colossal Titans." He declared

The three members of the 104th and the Elric brothers gasped "Who?" asked Eren impatiently, eager to discover the names of those who pushed humanity to the brink, who drove him out of his home and killed his mother. He was going to make them pay.

Erwin looked over to Hange to deliver the news "We suspect that the other shifters who were in league with Annie Leonhart are Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover" Eren's face turned white as the blood quickly drained from his face and like Armin his eyes had widen and mouths had dropped in shock, the only ones who kept a stoic look were the senior officers and Mikasa.

Ed and Alphonse who were trying to remember who the two were; their names sounded familiar and they were sure they'd met the two at some point, that's when Ed remembered they were those tall Cadets they'd met at the HQ and during that meeting. "It seems there wasn't much in terms of records about them so strictly speaking we know little to nothing about them before their enlistment" Hange added as she looked over their file "No birth certificate, no addresses from their village, no health or other information which isn't dated prior to them joining the cadets."

"But the important thing we do know that during the expedition those two were among the ones told that Eren, Ed and Alphonse were stationed in the right-wing."

"That's the section where Annie led the Titan ambush!" exclaimed Armin "They could have told Annie about his position."

"That would explain a lot like the lack of paper work on the three of them and the ambush on the right side." commented Ed.

"Wait just a minute!" yelled Eren in defence of his now accused comrades "we can't just jump to conclusions like that!"

"You're right, Eren" replied Hange "so with that in mind, I'm curious about the relationship between the three of them."

"I knew those two came from the same hometown as Annie, but they never looked to be particularly close." Replied Armin

"Same, I don't remember them talking to Annie much either, then again Annie usually tried to keep to herself." Added Eren "But I don't believe we have any reason to suspect them; Bertholdt was always someone quiet but Reiner has always been our friend, the guy's been like a big brother to us since the Cadet Corps, he'd never lie to us!"

"Reiner is indeed someone who can be relied on; when he, Jean and I encountered Annie's Titan he survived being crushed… by… her" Armin had come to a sudden realization about that day.

"What's wrong, Armin?" asked Alphonse

"When Reiner escaped from Annie, she changed her direction and ran straight for Levi squad's position." replied Armin, "I may have said that you were in rear of the centre-rank, but there's no way she could have hear me."

"Did Reiner seem, in anyway, interested in Eren's position? Asked Erwin

Armin thought back to that day ' _So where would they be?'_ "I… I talked about their position because Reiner asked me…" stammered Armin, all eyes were on him "And when we made a run for it I saw Annie staring at her hand before running off; as if she was reading something… Reiner must have carved out your position on her hand…"

"Guess that solves it…" Ed said "we have our guys…"

"What the hell" exclaimed Eren, still in denial about his comrades' betrayal "The guy's been with us from the beginning, we can't just start treating him like the enemy?"

"Eren, can you just wake up and smell the coffee?" replied Ed; a little frustrated by Eren's refusal to see the evidence in front of them "This all adds up just too well for it to be some huge coincidence."

"What a coffee?" Hange muttered.

"Shut up Ed!" responded Eren "You don't know them we do, like I do, Reiner would never betray his comrades or humanity!"

" _ **I'm here to save humanity."**_ _Reiner's words echoed in Eren's mind._

"Enough" said Erwin, intervening before things could get even more heated, he had only needed to raise his voice slightly to gain control of the discussion "From what we've gathered it's clear that both Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover are the likely suspects which means they should be apprehended and detained until proven otherwise." Eren bit down on his lower lip; trying to stop himself from arguing with the commander while everyone else nodded and accepted Erwin's final say on the matter. "Right now we need to come up with a plan to bring them underground so that we can safely apprehend them without also raising any suspicion from them"

"We could fool them with a fake training exercise" suggested Armin "You could frame it as a kind of experimentation of Scout manpower combined with Alchemy." Ed and Alphonse were listening carefully to Armin's plan.

"An interesting proposal" remarked Erwin "proceed."

"I'll need a map" Armin asked, Moblit quickly handed him one from his pocket "Well we have to fool them into believing that this is just a training exercise, we'll have them go through different stages; first on a open field where they'll face off against dummy Titans while being aided by their Alchemy, the same will go for the second stage set in a forest and the third and final stage could be a fake evacuation training we'll just have a group of Scouts act as volunteer evacuees from there we'll have led them underground and that where we'll spring an ambush on them, hopefully by then they'd have completely bought into the idea of the training exercises." Armin explained as he pointed towards different locations.

"My concern is that we'd have to give them their ODM gear" said Mike "If they find out we're playing them it wouldn't be hard for them to make a quick getaway."

"I acknowledge that we do run the risk of that happening" replied Armin "That's why we need to act as if we're not on to them, denying them their ODM gear would only raise suspicions."

"Fair point" Replied Mike.

"We could distribute schedules to the 104th to add validity to the ruse." added Hange.

"There is another problem" said Levi "if Eren and the Elrics are all near them they could just decide that this would be their best chance to kidnap them and if we split those two up they could start asking questions."

"We could just say that they're training with different divisions of the 104th Scout Regiment" suggested Hange "I doubt they'll act if they believe their main targets are out of reach." This seemed to satisfy Levi's concern as he nodded his head.

"We can have Ed and Eren wait in Stohess as backup" suggested Armin "We'll have to quickly apprehend them, and Eren could act as support in case they transform, hopefully being underground will restrict the Colossal Titan's transformation."

"A clever ruse, Armin Arlert though I would make some changes." Erwin stated "Levi, Eren and Edward should remain here with Leonhart during the operation; we shouldn't give up the possibility of Leonhart surrendering information and continued monitoring of her could still be invaluable. Also should anything happen they'd be nicely position to move around the southern area and towards Stohess." Erwin placed his finger on the map and traced an outline of their route. "We can start from here and move onwards towards Stohess."

"Yes, commander" Armin agreed.

"Are we all in agreement with the plan outline?" Erwin asked everyone nodded their heads; Eren just looked to ground with sad eyes as his head slightly moved. "Mike, I'm putting you and your squad in charge of the southern division of the 104th Scouts with Alphonse Elric, Hange you'll organise the trap in the underground of Stohess district and Levi you'll remain here to provide assistance and monitor Leonhart.

"Sir" said Eren "With permission, can I see Annie Leonhart?"

"Granted" replied Erwin, Eren quickly walked to the basement door, Armin and Mikasa followed him, Ed and Alphonse walked to the exit of the mess hall, Ed turned back to see Eren entering the basement while Armin and Mikasa waited outside the door for him.

Eren walked down the steps of the dimly lit large dungeon, he turned the corner to see the cell which he had slept in had now housed another occupant; a traitor who killed countless Scouts and an enemy of humanity chained up against a wall, Eren watched the steam pouring out of her arms as he waited for her to take notice of him. Annie slowly raised her head to see the face of a betrayed comrade glaring at her; she stared back at him with a stony expression. It was now clear to Eren why Annie was so distant from everyone during the Training years.

"I'm guessing you're here to yell at me" said Annie

"Why?" asked Eren, his voice was a mixture of anger and sadness "Why Annie? Why would you do all this, do you know how many people you've killed, what can be worth all this?"

"Why? Why should I tell you?" replied Annie "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand; it's not like you could ever look past your goal to kill all Titans."

"Don't give me that crap!" yelled Eren angrily, slamming his hand on one of the cold metal bars, he gripped it tightly till his knuckles were white "You're gonna answer my questions or I swear I'm going to kill you myself!"

"Eren!" yell someone from his left side; he turned his head to see it was Mikasa and Armin who had come downstairs after they heard him yell. They both looked at Annie, Mikasa glared at her while Armin looked at Annie with a feeling of great sadness, when he saw her with Marco's ODM gear back in the inspection he knew something was amiss, he just didn't want to believe his own conclusion until he now saw it with his own eyes.

"Annie…" said Armin "I just have one question for you, who are the Colossal and the Armoured Titans?"

"Armin, do you honestly believe I would just tell you after I endured hours of torture to keep such a secret?" replied Annie.

"It's Reiner and Bertholdt, isn't it?" stated Armin, Annie didn't say anything at first, remaining silent for a few seconds, to many they wouldn't have been able to notice this or would have probably dismissed it, but for Armin this and all the evidence discussed before was all he needed to confirm their identities.

"Those two?" replied Annie in mocking tone "don't make me laugh; Bertholdt too timid to anything like that and Reiner doesn't seem the type to betray his comrades."

 _You're a terrible liar, Annie._

"Worth a shot." Replied Armin putting on an exhausted tone of voice, he then tapped Eren's arm "C'mon you two lets go." As Mikasa followed Armin, Eren continued to glare at Annie before looking away to follow Armin.

Armin led the trio out of the basement, all the while thinking to himself about the day he saw Bertholdt look at them from beyond the wall five years ago.


	25. Chapter 25: Unexpected

**Chapter 25: Unexpected**

It was now the second day since the 57th expedition and the southern division of the 104th Scout Regiment were being sent out into an open area of Wall Rose, between districts Trost and Yalkell, for what they were informed was training for 'experimental fighting techniques' involving Alchemy, a copy of the schedule which was handed out to each one of them had shown that it was to be a full day of training; they were to equip themselves in their combat uniform and ODM gear for war games with Alphonse Elric under the supervision of Squad Leader Mike.

A convey of horses and wagons trailed along a long dirt road towards their destination; the sun had begun to rise up from the east, above a bush of trees on the horizon, to signal the start of the new day and bathe the sky in an dark orange glow. Connie and Sasha rode on their horses half-asleep grumbling to themselves about the sudden training programme "This sucks" remarked Connie "I was hoping to go to my village today but Commander Erwin had to pull a surprise training session out his ass yesterday, you'd think they'd give us a break after our first expedition."

"My village isn't that far from here" said Sasha "I wonder if I get permission to visit after we're done."

"Ask for me too while you're at it." Smiled Connie

"Unlikely" said Jean who was riding next to Connie "didn't you read the schedule? The last training course is a practice evacuation into the underground with some civilians; we'll be in Stohess at the end of the day." Sasha and Connie collectively groaned.

"It should be interesting to see what their Alchemy can bring to the table in the battles to come" said Reiner who was with Bertholdt riding their horses close behind the three of them "Damn shame that Eren and Ed had to train with the other divisions, but that is strange."

"Why's it strange?" asked Connie

"Why would they separate the 104th into its former divisions?" asked Reiner "wouldn't it have been easier to have the whole regiment train together with the Elrics and Eren?"

"Maybe the numbers weren't manageable." suggested Jean "There are forty three members in the southern division alone, though the one thing that's on my mind is how Eren can still be allowed in the Survey Crops, the Elrics I understand since they saved one of the last members of the Special Operations Unit from that Titan."

"Thought you two had buried the hatchet before the expedition" commented Reiner

"Don't get me wrong big guy; I may still think of him as the suicidal blockhead but I'm glad he's still with us" replied Jean "It's just that I thought that since the expedition was a failure they'd have to hand him over to the Military Police."

"Good point." Replied Reiner

"Commander probably got a silver tongue." Suggested Connie his head turned trying to face Reiner and Jean at the back "Hey Armin, Mikasa you guys were there at the trial, how slick is the Commander?" Armin and Mikasa were riding behind Reiner and Bertholdt; their orders were to watch the two of them at all times throughout the day right up to the ambush in the underground and while not giving off any indication that they were on to them.

 _Act as you'd usually act when with them, like they're still the friends and not the monsters that ruined your lives…_

"The Commander can be persuasive." replied Armin "He manage to get Premier Zackly on his side when the Military Police looked to be winning the argument."

"So that's probably it" responded Connie "If Armin says it's true then it's gotta be true." He turned his head forward; ahead of him were Krista who looked to be slightly annoyed and blushing at Ymir who was had a sly grin on her face and Mina who was talking to Alphonse, she seemed to be laughing at something Alphonse said "You think Mina might have a crush on Alphonse?" he whispered to Sasha with a grin on his face

"Probably" giggled Sasha "Did you see her face lit up yesterday when they said he'd be with us?"

"It'd be stupid if she does" said Jean to Connie and Sasha "Edward and Alphonse are only here until Wall Maria gets patched up and depending on how things go it may just be a matter of months, someone should remind them of this; better sooner before they get hurt" the stupid grins on Connie and Sasha's faces quickly faded at the thought being replaced with a somber expression.

 _Why do I have the feeling it's going to be me doing it?_ Thought Jean

"You have a point Jean." Said Reiner "But let them have this just for a while, I'll be the one to talk to Mina about it and I'll see if Ed could have a conversation about it with Alphonse."

"Thanks Reiner" replied Jean, grateful that another thankless task wasn't up to him for once.

"So this guy would always try to bear hug you guys?" Laughed Mina "that's hilarious."

"He's freakishly strong also, for a big muscular guy he was always very emotional, not that there's anything wrong with that." mentioned Alphonse "but he's a great person; he always cared about my brother and I and the people he worked with."

"That's good to hear that he cared" replied Mina "My best friend Annie told me I shouldn't put myself in harm's way back in graduation; it's nice when people try and look out for you." Alphonse shifted slightly on the saddle of his horse and his grip on the reigns had tighten, he remembered the look of heartbreak on Eren's face when he found out one of his friends was a traitor out to push humanity off the edge, he dreaded to think about the reaction Mina would have when she found out about the truth of her best friend. "You think she might be upset about me joining the Scouts?" Mina asked innocently "maybe I should write a letter to her or visit her."

"You should just write a letter…" Alphonse suggested "she could be busy and all." _Busy being tortured…_

"You're probably right" replied "from what I've heard new MPs get paper work pushed onto them from their superiors."

"So why did you join the Scouts?" asked Alphonse, trying to change the topic from Annie

"You saved my life Al, I figured if I joined I might get the opportunity to return the favor" Mina joked "But really; I thought about joining the Garrison, I figured I might get assigned in my home district but I felt that I needed to do more, I wanted to do two things; help give humanity a future beyond Wall Rose and protect the people I care about, I figured joining the Scout Regiment would be the best way to do both of those."

At the front of the convey, Mike went over the plan with his squad "You all have the maps I gave you?" he asked

"Yes, squad leader." Replied Nanaba

"Good, we're coming up in the first location; it's an area north of Ragako village and East of Castle Utgard." Said Mike

"Never knew there was a castle near the wall." Commented Gelgar

"Likely abandoned or a refuge for outlaws and bandits." replied Mike "stick to the plan, this training day is just a distraction, once we get to Stohess we'll need to separate Reiner and Bertholdt from the rest of the Southern 104th." The convey was now in an open field which stretched out for miles and in the distance to the north was a wide forest "Soldiers!" boomed Mike "Dismount, set up a posts for the horses; we're reached the first location, get moving!" the convey quickly grinded to a halt as everyone moved off their horse, large wooden posts were hammered into the ground in a neat straight line for the recruits to tie the reigns of their horses to.

"They couldn't have set up the training course before we got here?" grumbled Connie as he unloaded thick large chunks of foam from one of the wagons "They did pull this out of their asses' last minute…" Alphonse walked out into the open space a few dozen meters from the rest of them; he clapped his hands together and placed them on to the wet grass and a group fifteen meter tall titans, made of harden mud, with their backs hunched over rose from the open field; the ground shook slightly as they were erected from the dirt, their number scattered across the field. The entire platoon of Scouts had stopped what they were doing to watch in awe at the sight.

"That will never stop being awesome" remarked Connie wide eyed

"Second time you've said something I agree with, Connie" said Jean as he watched too

They tied the foam onto the necks of the dirt titans, once everything was ready the forty some recruits of the 104th southern division formed ranks in front of Mike, his squad and Alphonse "Listen up!" announced Mike, his voice reaching out across the field "As you should know this is the first training session of the day; the objective is to combine the abilities of Alphonse's Alchemy with your ODM gear."Mike then pointed to the dirt Titans "ahead of you are some Titans, on an open field your gear would be close to useless; only a fool would face the Titans on an open field… but this won't be an open field for long."

He turned his head towards Alphonse "I want five squads with around eight in each squad, first squad form up here!"

Jean, Reiner, Mikasa, Mina along with four other recruits of the first squad walked forward, they took out their handles from the pockets and attached their blades

"On my command you are to charge at the dummy Titans with Alphonse Elric." Alphonse stood in the middle of the group but unlike them he hadn't taken out the handles for his ODM gear

"Go now!" they sprinted forward straight towards the Titans, Alphonse clapped his hands and struck the ground with them; transmuting long slanted pillars in front of them, they ran and leapt from the pillars firing their cables onto the exposed napes of the Titans, they zoomed forward and with stunning grace they carved through the foam, Alphonse quickly ran past the first Titans, he quickly transmuted a line of pillars leading up to the next set of Titans for them to swing towards, doing just that they made their way towards; Mikasa was leading the charge with stunning speed and efficiency similar to someone else Mike and s squad knew, they summarily cut the napes of the dummy titans before lowering themselves onto the ground. "Good work" said Mike; even if this was just part of an elaborate trap he knew the benefits of doing such an exercise "Altight, give Alphonse here a breather then we'll get on with the next group."

After their first training session the 104th were stationed at a small facility, just south of Dauper village, for a short break; they were ordered to keep their gear on with the exception of their scarabs which they had to leave near their horse; ready to leave at a moment's notice. Armin bit into his field rations after being told by Mikasa to eat something; he'd been busy keeping an eye on Bertholdt and Reiner to focus on anything else, they sat on the same table as them with Connie and Jean separating Armin from Bertholdt and Sasha and Mina separating Mikasa from Reiner.

"Is this seriously all we're getting?" said Connie as he took a large bite from his field ration "Could have at least packed from bread or soup along with us."

"If you don't want it, I'll have it." Suggested Sasha as she reached out for it

Connie defensively gripped his food "I still want to eat it!"

"We're only here for twenty minutes Connie" reminded Reiner "Mike said we've got to stick to a tight schedule."

"We could get something to eat at Stohess" suggested Mina "Hopefully we could even meet up with Annie, I know you'd like to Bertholdt." She teased

Bertholdt almost choked on his ration cracker, crumbles spilling onto the table "Wha?" he exclaimed "What do you mean?"

"I always catch you staring at her" replied Mina "back in the training camp you always sat behind us in the mess hall and stared."

"It's true Bertholdt" added Reiner "You do stare a lot."

"That's pretty creepy dude." laughed Connie as Bertholdt squirmed in his seat looking completely mortified

"Yeah well, you're one to talk Mina!" replied Bertholdt defensively "What about how you look at Alphonse?"

"Damn Bertholdt" remarked Ymir mildly impressed, she sat at the other table listening in on their conversation with Krista once she saw Bertholdt freaking out "never knew you had it in you"

"Hey shut up!" replied Mina, blood rushing to her cheeks.

Armin and Mikasa remained silent as their friends joked with each other, just like when they were trainees not so long ago, Armin wanted to smile, he wanted to remember this moment fondly… but knowing what him and Mikasa knew, they couldn't look past the large Colossal sized shadow that was cast over their happy moment.

"How 'bout the way Jean looks at Mikasa?" teased Connie, Mikasa turned her head towards Jean and gave him a puzzling look.

"Hey why are you throwing me under the wagon for?" yelled Jean at a grinning Connie

Alphonse sat with his legs crossed on a tall tower in the small facility with Mike and his squad, he stared into the open field, the large grass covered hills, scattered trees and in the far distance was Wall Rose. He scrunched up the wrapper in his hands and placed it in his pocket mindful not to litter and ruin this perfect enviroment

"It's a shame those two are Titan shifters" said Nanaba "From what I've read on them they were top of their class; they had a lot of promise."

"It is a damn shame" replied Mike "But they are a threat to humanity and as such they need to be dealt with." Mike slowly shut his eyes for a second and inhaled from his nose, trying to take in the calmness of the moment. His eyes shot open when he picked up on a familiarly disgusting smell. He turned around to face the direction of a forest and leaned forward slightly "Thomas!" he yelled "get four couriers to notify the districts, you'll head to our former HQ and notify Captain Levi this; the possibility that recruits Reiner and Bertholdt are the Titan shifters is low and Wall Rose has been breached from the south! Tell him to link with us at Utgard castle" Nanaba and Alphonse both looked at the direction Mike gazed upon and in the distance they saw small silhouettes in front of hills in the distance growing larger by the second. "Alphonse attach your scarabs and get on your horse!" he ordered, Alphonse frantically placed the rest of his equipment on, he jumped from the tower, reeled himself onto the ground and sprinted towards his horse. Nanaba fired off her cables to one of the windows of the building next to the tower where the recruits were eating and swung herself around to an open window immediately catching everyone's attention

"Is everyone here?" she asked with a great sense of urgency

"Executive Officer Nanaba?" said Krista a little concerned

"This is not a drill" she quickly stated "we have multiple Titans about five hundred meters from the south heading for our direction! Attach your scarabs and saddle up we've evacuating the nearby towns and villages" they stared at her; some shocked beyond belief and others wondering or hoping that this was just a surprise part of the training course "Now!" she yelled. "This is not a drill!"

"Wait… my village…" said Connie as he came to a horrifying realisation

"How the hell is that even possible…" whispered Reiner to Bertholdt

 _But if the walls have been breached then…_ Armin looked over to Bertholdt and Reiner _those two aren't the Titan shifters…_ a small drop of relief hit him along with a feeling of dread over the latest Titan incursion showering over him.

Nanaba turned around and fired her cables onto the roof of the building where Mike had been standing; reeling herself up to meet him, Mike stood there stoically as he counted the number of Titans approaching their position.

"Nine so far" said Mike as Nanaba walked up to him

"They've broken through Wall Rose… there's nothing stopping their advance inwards…" observed Nanaba grimly "Our best course of action after evacuating the towns and villages in the area is to get Edward and Alphonse to the breach and have them seal it up." She knelt down and stared stared off to the side, trying to assess the grave situation "Still the whole situation is on a knife's edge; there's no telling how many have already made it inside and breach is probably swarming with them making an approach extremely dangerous, Humanity may well be pushed off the cliff edge…"

"No" replied Mike defiantly "the scales maybe tipped in their favor but there's still hope, all we need to do is keep fighting; so long as we keep putting up a fight, we haven't been beaten yet." Nanaba knelt there, taking in his words of resistance. "We'll wait for Levi to bring in Ed and Eren along with any reinforcements at Utgard castle; it might be the only defensible position near the entry point, after that we'll make a push for the breach." The two of them watched as the forty three members of the 104th southern division saddled themselves on their horses

Mike and his squad lead the large convey out of the facility "Once the Titans reach the woods we split up!" ordered Mike, he yelled over the thunderous sound of galloping "split into four groups with veterans and recruits, on my command we'll scatter across the area, inform as many people as you can, engage the enemy only if you have to, Southern team will be responsible for assessing the damage and everyone link back to Utgard castle we'll wait for Captain Levi to bring in reinforcement from there, does anyome here know the area?"

"My village is just north of here, sir!" replied Sasha "I know the terrain!"

"You'll guide the northern team!" ordered Mike

"Connie's village is from the-" she turned to face Connie; he gave off a look of paralyzed shock "Connie?"

"My village…" he replied weakly "It's to the south… where the Titans are coming from… I'll guide the southern team but please… let me go back to my home"

"Alright, you guide the southern team and afterwards head to your village." Responded Mike

"Thank you sir!" replied Connie

"I'll join you!" yelled Reiner

"You're not the only one!" added Jean "I'm coming too!"

"Are you guys crazy?" replied Connie "Titans have probably swarmed the placed!"

"Exactly; we're not about to let you go in on this alone." Replied Jean

"What about you?" asked Reiner turning his head to face Bertholdt "You tagging along?"

"Of course." Replied Bertholdt

"Mikasa Ackerman, you're with the southern team!" ordered Mike, she turned to Armin and gave him a worried look; she couldn't leave Armin, the last time she'd left him and Eren was at Trost and they both almost got killed.

"I'll be fine Mikasa" Armin reassured her "You just focus on getting as many people as you can out of here."

As the convoy rode onward on the path they quickly caught sight of a stray group of Titans in the distance to their right; a fifteen meter Titan stopped its lumbered movements and froze. Suddenly it leapt into the sky, its arms twirling in the air, before sprinting towards the Scouts, the other Titan immediately followed with the same erratic movements in pursuit of the Scout convoy.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Jean

"They're sprinting towards us!" yelled a one of the recruits in the back

"Oh fuck!" yelled one of the Veterans "Everyone get moving! Go! Go! Go!" they whipped the reins of their horses trying to increase their speed, but the Titans were still catching up to them; it was only a matter of time before they collided with the convoy.

Mikasa took out the handles to her ODM gear and attached them to her blades, ready to charge the incoming Titans.

"No!" yelled Mike, catching Mikasa in the act "You're with the southern team" he then turned to Gelgar "Gelgar, you lead the southern team!" he commanded as he pulled the reins of his horse in the direction of the Titans, charging head on towards them.

"Yes Sir!" replied Gelgar almost hesitantly

"He's going out to face those Titans alone?" questioned one of the veterans

"I'll go with him!" suggested another Scout veteran

"No, he'll be fine!" countered Gelgar "He can handle it; he's Humanity's second strongest soldier after Captain Levi."

* * *

"Ahhhhh!" exclaimed Annie as Levi poured a bucket of ice cold water over her, she instinctively moved her arms closer to try and cover herself but the shackles holding her arms in place prevented her from doing so. She looked upwards and glared at Levi who just looked at her with his usual emotionless expression; if he felt any enjoyment or anguish from torturing her then he doesn't show it. "Youuuuu…. Bbbasssttaarrd" said Annie through chattering teeth

"Oh shut it" replied Levi "You should be thanking me; you were absolutely filthy." He turned to face Eren and Ed who were behind him, Eren stood there staring at Annie with harden eyes while Ed leaned back against the bars of the dungeon with his arms folded "If you want to try and get anything out of her than now would be a good time." Eren walked up to Annie and knelt down so that they were at eye level. They were trying out a new strategy; appealing to her sense of humanity and if that didn't work then they go back to torturing.

"Annie, I want to talk" he said, she could tell from his voice that he was trying to hold back his anger but at the same time he seemed more upset "please just tell us, tell me, what the hell is going on… why all this is happening…" Annie looked at him, she felt sorry for Eren; Bertholdt had told her about the story Eren mother dying in the district they attacked, she knew that Eren had every right to be angry at her and if they did managed to find out about Reiner and Bertholdt than he'd have every right to be angry at them too, she almost wanted to tell him.

"What I did…" said Annie, she looked into Eren and saw an uncontrollable and all-consuming fire behind his teal colored eyes _there's no future for these people even if I do tell them, they can't fight the nature of things and if Eren really is the coordinate then these people are fucked ; they're dead either way…_ "I did because it was necessary for me…" Eren was about to lunge at her but was stopped by Ed who held him back _I just have to hold out long enough for Reiner and Bertholdt to notice I'm gone; no doubt they'll come back for me and then we can finally complete this god-forsaken mission and go home…_

 _You really need to cool it down_ thought Ed as he held back Eren who was struggling to escape his grasp and reach Annie, he thought back to all the times he lost his temper.

The slamming of the door to the hall caught their attention as one of the Scouts rushed down the stairs towards them "Captain Levi!" the Scout yelled "report from Mike; There's a breach in the south side of Wall Rose, Titans pouring in!" their eyes widen in shock at the news

 _That's where Al is…_ thought Ed as he let go of Eren who was now too stunned to be angry at Annie

"How… How long ago was that?" he asked the Scout

"Three, maybe four hours…" replied the messenger

Annie wondered if they discovered she had been kidnapped and were now creating a distraction to rescue her _Looks like I won't be here for long then…_

Levi walked up to Annie and threw a hard punch to her head; knocking her out cold, he then unlocked the shackles holding her hands to the wall causing her to drop down onto the ground "Why are you looking at me like a bunch of useless idiots?" asked Levi at Ed and Eren who were staring at him "Move your asses!" They both quickly ran out of the dungeon to retrieve their gear and horses while Levi tied up an unconscious Annie, he placed her on his shoulder "Alright, fill me in on what happened." He asked the Scout

"How'd the wall get breached?" said Eren as he strapped on his ODM gear

Ed thought back to the large Titans in the wall, he wondered if one of them had woken up and caused a massive breach or if maybe there was section of wall that wasn't made of Titans and was just regular building material.

"You think Reiner and Bertholdt got caught and are now trying to escape?" asked Ed

"It wasn't them" said Levi as he entered in to collect his gear "messenger said Mike noticed Titans heading from the south and concluded that Reiner and Bertholdt are not the other Titan shifters, Mike's got the 104th held up at Utgard castle near the wall."

A small smile formed on Eren's face at the news that his friends weren't the traitors after all, he felt vindicated in his defense of them "I was right, I knew we shouldn't have doubted them!"

"You can say 'I told you so' in your own time" replied Levi "right now we need to head to Stohess"

"Wait but you said they're at Utgard castle" interjected Ed "shouldn't we be going there? Our orders were to mobilise at the first sign of trouble, this is trouble!"

"Our first priority is to get Leonhart into Wall Sina" replied Levi "Second we don't have the experienced manpower to bring you and Alphonse even remotely close enough to a possible breach; once we get to Stohess we'll link up with Hange's squad and head over to Mike and relieve the 104th then we'll see what we can do about the breach." He said as he walked out of the room with his ODM gear on him, he stopped at the door and faced them "I know you're probably worried about your brother but I'm sure he's fine; Mike can handle the situation." Levi then continued to walk, making his way to the stables

"How do you know that by the time we've done that it might not already be too late!" countered Ed as he and Eren followed him "We should take the men we have now and just link up back with the 104th and Mike's squad and seal the breach."

"So you're suddenly alright with sending a bunch of recruits into a Titan swarm?" questioned Levi, Ed didn't know how to respond, he thought back to those Cadets in Trost and how terrified they were, while he was impatient to go out and help Alphonse and seal the breach he knew he couldn't condemn the 104th to an early grave.

"No sir." Ed replied hesitantly

"Good" replied Levi as he got in his horse; there were seven other Scouts on their horses waiting for them near the entrance with small wagon covered over tied to one of them.

"Our first objective is to move the prisoner into Stohess! I want you all to cover each side of the wagon, understood?" yelled Levi "Squad, move out!" they whipped the reins sending their horses sprinting forward.

* * *

Mina and a veteran Scout followed Sasha along the path, she pointed ahead of them towards a small village in the distance "There's a village just north!" she yelled

"Got it!" replied the veteran "Is that the final one?"

"Not yet, there's still my village deep in the forest!" responded Sasha

"Alright, I'll handle this one, you two watch each other's back and head for the last one!" he ordered

"Yes sir!" replied Mina; they rushed off along the path into the forest, they rode along the path straight through mass of trees for a while, Sasha gasped when she noticed it; large foot prints "What is it?" Mina asked

"Footprints" responded Sasha "They're already pretty far in; the Titan we saw weren't the first one." Sasha then spotted a few buildings along the path "Did they build a new village?" They approached the village, the place looked desolate; not a soul in sight.

"They must have evacuated then." Said Mina as they passed through the entrance.

"We'll go around and check, just in case" replied Sasha, they dismounted from their horses and took out their blades, their eyes scanning for any kind of movement be it human, animal or Titan. As they walked along a dirt path Sasha stopped dead in her tracks and raised her blades

"You see something?" whispered Mina, Sasha pointed towards a small house with an open door

"There's someone in there." Sasha whispered back, they slowly walked up to the door and caught sight of a three meter Titan chewing into a poor woman's leg as she whimpered in pain, Sasha placed one of her blades back into her scarab and held the handle to her left one in both hands as she approached the door and she crept into the house going unnoticed by the Titan who was gourging himself on the woman's leg.

"WAAGH!" yelled Sasha; she struck her blade into the nape of the three meter Titan, killing it instantly. The Titan carcass fell on top of the woman whose right leg had a huge chunk bitten off of it. Sasha and Mina scrambled to get the body of the Titan off of her, they flipped the now evaporating carcass to the side of her, Sasha turned her head to see a small child with light blond hair staring at them with wide emotionless eyes. Mina tended to the woman's wounds by wrapping some clothes she found around her open wound in the hope it would stop further blood loss while Sasha took the hand of the child and led her back to the horses.

"Don't worry madam" said Mina as she finished wrapping her wounds "we're gonna get you and your daughter out of…" she turned to face her and noticed she'd stopped breathing; her dead eyes staring blankly into the floor. Mina stood without saying another word and immediately looked at her own blood stained hands, she wiped the blood off with the wrapped clothes and walked out the door.

"Damn it…" she muttered to herself as she walked back to Sasha and the small girl sitting on her horse, she tenderly held the little girl's hand "I'm so sorry, but there was nothing I could do to help her"

"They left us" replied the small child "the whole village knew my mom had bad legs, but they still left us…"

"We're not leaving you." Replied Sasha stoically, they rode along the dirt path and quickly they ran into a group of people on horse back

"Is that the rest of the Northern team?" said Mina

"No…" replied Sasha it's…" the riders came to a halt as she almost instantly recognized the man with the thin brown beard leading the group "Dad?"

* * *

"Connie!" yelled Reiner as he and Jean rode up to him, Connie looked transfixed at the sight of a Titan lying down on the remains of a house, and Reiner gripped Connie's arm and pulled him back slightly.

"My...My home" replied Connie with a shaky voice, he looked to be one the verge of tears "It's gone…"

Jean examined the Titan lying in the rubble of Connie's home _how the hell did it even get here?_ He thought _its legs looks too weak to support its body and head_

"Recruits!" yelled Gelgar "get back!"

"Mikasa, patrol the outskirts of the village for any Titans!" order Lynne

"Yes Sir!" Replied Mikasa

"What the… how the hell did that get here?" said Gelgar as he stared at the titan.

Ten minutes had past as the southern team searched the ruins of Ragako village for survivors, Connie stood staring at their ruined house and the Titan who destroyed it with tears pouring from his eyes as he held a bundle of torches.

"Connie!" yelled Jean, as he, Reiner and Bertholdt ran up to him "Did you find anyone?"

"No…" replied Connie choking on his tears "They're gone… my house…my family" Reiner placed his hand on Connie's shoulder and gripped it reassuringly; from the look on his face the whole ordeal was painful for him too.

"Hey!" Gelgar called out "Did you find any bodies?"

"No" replied Reiner

"Nothing, not even a blood stain." Added Jean

"How the hell is that even possible" questioned Gelgar

"They must have all escaped" said Lynne trying to comfort Connie "there's no way a Titan attack could be this clean, they must have escaped before the Titans could reach them!" a smile crept up on Connie's face as the idea that his family hadn't died offered him a ray of hope through a dark cloud of grief. "They must have left hours ago; they might already be in Wall Sina." Jean examined the uneasy smile on her face; he didn't think she believed her own theory.

 _Strange though…_ he thought as he looked at the stable full of horses _they couldn't have made it this far without the horses and the buildings; why would Titans just ransack buildings with no people inside?_

"Are the torches ready?" asked Gelgar "We're heading to the wall now so be on your guard."

Connie walked over to his horse; the reigns were tied to an undamaged fence next to Jean's horse, Jean tapped him on the back with the palm of his hand "Whatever happens Connie; Sasha, I and the others we'll all be there for you" Jean said as he got on his horse.

"Thanks Jean" replied Connie as he got on his horse; he greatly appreciated the comment and reassurance that he wasn't going to be alone in facing this nightmare "sorry abo-"

"Welc…ome ho…me" said an unnatural sounding voice from behind them, they both looked at each other; a cold chill running down their spines as they sat on their horses frozen on the spot.

"Tell me I'm not the only that heard that." Said Connie

"No…" replied Jean as they both turned to face the Titan staring at them with its large hazel eyes. "Did… did that Titan just-"

"Hey you two!" yelled Reiner "hurry the hell up; you're gonna be left behind!"

"Reiner! The Titan just spoke!" replied Jean

"Well I didn't hear a damn thing" responded Reiner dismissively

"It…it sounded like my mom-" said Connie

"Damn it could you two could you just get a grip!" yelled Reiner "instead of diving into fantasies how about you focus on the-"

"Don't give me that kind of crap Reiner!" yelled Jean angrily "I know what I heard and what I heard was a Titan speaking!"

Reiner gritted his teeth in pure frustration "We'll talk about this later" he replied "In case you've forgotten we're still soldiers and we have a duty to do, now get moving!" he then rode off to back to the southern team.

* * *

The sky had darken with the coming of night and the whole of Stohess seemed to be in complete chaos as refugees began pouring into the city through the large entrance; Levi's squad slowly made their way through the mass of people towards the Military HQ; riding their horses off to the side of the main road.

"Stay close!" yelled Levi, people began to pull and tug at them asking for help, for them or their children to ride on their horse or the cart so they could get ahead

"I'm sorry, I can't" said Ed to woman holding up her daughter, she was begging him to let her on so that she'd get ahead "Just keep following the road, it's not that farer."

"Hey! Get back!" yelled a Scout at someone trying to climb into the cart

"Stop hogging the road you good for nothings!" yelled a passerby at the Scouts

"You two" Levi said to two of the other Scouts "watch the horses, the rest of you will escort Leonhart somewhere safe, Ed and Eren you're with me." They walked into the corridors of the Military HQ, the whole place seemed to be in a state of chaos as people ran around yelling instructions at each other, they arrived outside Erwin's office "you two wait here." said Levi as he entered through the door." Inside Erwin and Hange were discussing what to do "So I assume you've already got the news." Said Levi as he leaned up against the door

"Titans have breached an area within Wall Rose" said Erwin "I'm assuming you're here to place Leonhart in a safer location."

"She wouldn't be any good to us being Titan puke." Replied Levi

"This doesn't make sense" said Hange "did one of the Colossal Titans in the walls just wake up? Did the Titans really break the wall even with the other Titans inside it? Or are only portions of the wall made of Titans"

"We can worry about that later" said Erwin "right now we have a breach in the wall and Titans pouring through, our best course of action would be to send the Elrics in to seal it, of course they're currently separated and Alphonse Elric location is unknown."

"Mike's got the 104th occupying a castle near the wall, if he's still alive then he'll be there." replied Levi "He also concluded that since Reiner and Bertholdt were under his watch during the breach then they couldn't be the Titan shifters."

"Mike doesn't know about the walled in Colossal Titans yet" said Hange "And the paper work showing a link between them and Leonhart and Armin's account of events during the expedition seemed to fit too well."

"So what are you suggesting then four-eyes?" asked Levi

"That even though Reiner and Bertholdt may have not caused the breach we still can't dismiss the idea that they are the Titan shifters." Said Hange

"So you're saying the original plan to apprehend them still remains the same?" asked Erwin

"Not exactly" replied Hange "we should just leave a skeleton crew to set up for the ambush just in case and if any new information comes to light then we at least we'll have options."

"Alright then, we'll still need to relieve the 104th and Mike's squad at Utgard castle; we'll head to Hermina, Levi and Hange you'll take twenty men and head over to the castle from there and I'll join the rest of our available forces with commander Pixis."

In the corridor outside the office Ed and Eren waited for the meeting to be over, Ed paced up and down the hallway impatiently constantly looking over the map showing the area south within Wall Rose and checking his pocket watch every so often _If I go now it would take about a day to get there on horse_ he thought, he didn't know if he could wait any longer; fearing that every second they spend here is one less second Alphonse had, the location was just north of where the possible breach could be which meant Alphonse was on the front line of the Titan attack.

"Eren" he called out "I'm heading out."

"What?" replied Eren "You can't leave, Captain Levi told us to wait here."

"Well he's taking too damn long" Ed replied "And they won't have enough time left until they get overrun

"Wall Rose could already be a warzone for all we know" countered Eren "if you go out there then you're as good as dead."

"I can handle myself." Said Ed as he turned his back to Eren to head to his horse, Eren walked up to Ed and grabbed his shoulder

"Listen to me; you're worried about your brother, I get it I'm worried about Armin and Mikasa, but we've got to trust that the Scouts know what they're doing." Ed let out a sigh "Trust me; I'm sure they're fine."

In the lower floor of the HQ Marlowe and Hitch were rushing through the corridor, the Military Police had been placed in charge of moving the refugees from Wall Rose into the underground city.

"This whole things a mess" remarked Marlowe, he sounded furious "The Officers can't put together a proper plan to move the refugees and now the situation is in complete chaos; its like they don't even care about these people."

Hitch wasn't listening to Marlowe's angry ramblings; something else, other than the potential breach in Wall Rose, was troubling her "Have you seen Annie anywhere?" she asked

Marlowe looked back at her a little confused "huh?"

"I haven't seen her for a whole day now; she wanted me to call her off sick for yesterday, by the way don't tell her I said that or else she'll be pissed" Hitch giggled "anyway I didn't see her last night or this morning... I'm kinda worried about her."

Marlowe gave Hitch a sympathetic look "She's probably alright" he said, trying to reassure Hitch "Annie can take care of herself and she might of just left early this morning, she probably in the city now trying to get the people to safety." Suddenly a group of soldiers walked up to them, that's when they noticed the Scout insignia on their jackets

"Excuse me" said one of the Scouts as they moved to the side of them, both Hitch and Marlowe quickly took notice of a person with a bag covered over their head being dragged by two other Scouts, the entire group looked on edge as if they were preparing themselves for something to happen.

"Hey, where are you going with that person?" asked Marlowe

"That doesn't concern you" replied one of the Scouts

* * *

Alphonse pressed his hands onto the crumbled castle wall stretching out the walls and connecting them to the other side leaving a open entrance for horses to past through; he went around the castle strengthen the crumbling exterior by moving mass from the ground into the outer walls and once he had done that he transmuted several spikes along the walls as a precaution against any Titan attack; very quickly the castle which looked to be in a state of ruin was looking more and more defendable.

"This place is going to be cramped" said Gelgar as he watched more Scouts and recruits from the 104th enter the castle, he held a green bottle in his hands.

"Are you seriously going to drink that now?" questioned Lynne

"Course not, what kind of guy do you take me for?" Stated Gelgar, also offended

"That should be the last team" said Nanaba "How many recruits are accounted for?"

"All of them" replied Lynne "I've counted; we now have all forty three of them, we've had to tied some of the horses to the trees nearby seeing as there isn't much space for all of them."

"Talk about unimaginable good luck" remarked Gelgar "you'd think we'd would have met more Titans."

"And the fact that there isn't a breach in the walls…" added Nanaba "Makes me wonder how the hell they got in."

"If there isn't a breach in the walls, then I don't think we'd need this many soldiers to hold this position then" said Henning "We can send the 104th to Yalkell, we'll just wait here for Levi and the reinforcements."

"We should wait for Mike before we make a decision like that" replied Nanaba

"What if…" said Henning "What if he didn't make it…"

"Don't talk like that." Said Nanaba "Mike's one of the best soldiers in the entire army; he was humanity's strongest soldier before Captain Levi, he'll be here."

"I don't doubt his skill" said Henning "but we have to be open to the possibility, we're deep in what could be Titan country and we have a bunch of recruits with us; the situation has changed and we can't just sit here and wait, someone needs to take command, you are Mike's second in command, you need to decide what we should do." Nanaba folded her arms and looked up into the sky wondering what they should do, she wondered whether Henning was right and if she should start taking command of the situation, she looked at the 104th members who were walking along the battlements on the lookout and those who were heading inside the interior of the castle or tower.

 _We could have them make a break for Yalkell_ thought Nanaba "Alright then, Lynne and Henning you two Scout out a path for the 104th to make an escape, the rest of us will hold down the fort."

"Yes, squad leader." Replied the two of them

On the first floor of the tower, members of the 104th sat against the wall or lay down on the stone floor trying to sleep and lining the walls were a large stack of scarabs on the floor. The area was cramped as Armin tried to make his way up the stairs, slowly side stepping over the sleeping bodies, he reached the second floor to find his friends sitting around in a dimly lit room; Connie sat up against the wall beside Sasha who was comforting him, Jean sat next to Sasha and near Mikasa, Reiner and Bertholdt sat to the left of Connie and Mina sat in between Bertholdt and Krista who sat next to Ymir.

"Armin" called Mikasa who was sitting on the stairs to the top of the tower.

"Good to see you made it back too." Said Reiner

"I'm pretty sure everyone made it back" said Jean "talk about the devils luck."

"Doesn't make sense" said Armin as he sat down next to Mikasa "If there's a breach in the walls then there should be more Titans."

"That's the thing Armin; we didn't find a breach, the whole wall is still intact" Replied Mikasa

"Wait! There wasn't a breach?" said Armin completely surprised

"We swept the south side of the wall, didn't even see a hole big enough for people to pass through." Said Jean

"Our team looked from the west" added Krista "we didn't find any breach there too."

Armin pondered on this new information _could the Titans have come from inside wall rose? That would explain why there's so few but how they got there in the first place is a mystery and if the wall isn't breached… then Reiner and Bertholdt are still suspects…_

"Connie, what happened to your village?" asked Ymir

"It was wiped out" replied Connie, his voice sounded ache with exhaustion and sadness "The Titans trampled their way through."

"I'm sorry to hear that" Ymir said apologetically

"But there wasn't any signs of people being eaten" added Connie "So it must mean they've gotten out, I'm thankful for that at least."

"But you said your whole village was destroyed?" questioned Ymir

"The houses were but we didn't find any bodies around; not even a single drop of blood" said Connie "so it must mean they weren't killed… but... There's still something I can't get out of my head; there was a Titan on top of my house but its legs and arms looked too weak to support its own body and… it sort of looked like my mom and it spoke…"

"I was with Connie when it happened" said Jean "I heard it too, it said 'welcome home…'" Almost everyone in the room listen to their Connie's story and Jean verifying the events with look of complete shock

"Are you two still going on about that?" said Reiner; he sounded annoyed at them for bringing it up

"Yes Reiner, we are" replied Jean, in a similarly annoyed tone "We know what we heard!"

Armin began to quickly piece everything in his head together; the Titans coming from the south but there being no breach in the wall, the relatively small number of them during the attack, Connie's village being destroyed yet no signs of people being devoured showing and the Titan who looked like Connie's mother…. _It can't be… dear God…_ Ymir was about to comment when Armin beat her to the punch "Wait…" he said, he stumble up to his feet, just from the look of him it was clear he was distressed about something.

"What is it, Armin?" asked Mikasa

"I…I… I think…" he stuttered, he didn't want to say it; he knew that if he told Connie this it would destroy him, it would destroy the glimmer of hope that he had about his family getting out, but what he discovered was crucial in almost every way... The Titans were people

"Well spit it out." Said Ymir impatiently

"I think I know… where the Titans came from…" said Armin "Connie… I'm so sorry, I really am but I think the Titans that are in Wall Rose… are the people from your village." The silence that had taken over was almost deafening.

"What… that… it can't be…" said Connie "No, no way I don't believe it!" there was a great sense of desperation in his voice as he held his head in his hands

"I'm sorry but after everything it's the only likely explanation; the small number of Titans, a breach not being found in the area and the lack of any evidence of people being eaten in your village and the Titan that looks like your mother…" everyone in the room looked at Armin almost overwhelmed by what he was suggesting, the idea that Titans were people all along and that everyone in Connie's village had become Titans… Reiner and Bertholdt looked pale as the blood was drained from their faces and a small bead of cold sweat ran down their forehead.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Ymir, destroying all tension within the room "Wow and here I thought you were going to say something clever!" she continued to laugh "That has to be the dumbest thing you've ever said, I never would have taken you for being such an idiot." Armin didn't know how to respond, instead he looked at the floor as Ymir berated him "If Connie's mother was a Titan then why the hell he is so small then?" she laughed

"I believe you, Armin" said Mikasa

"Well of course you'd believe him" mocked Ymir

"Me too, Armin" added Jean, he didn't know whether he agreed with Armin because he really did believe his theory or just out of spite against Ymir

"I saw a Titan foot print up north on the way to our village" added Sasha, this only strengthen Armin's theory "that's means they must have been in Wall Rose longer than we thought."

"Really, you guys are really going to believe this?" scoffed Ymir _this isn't going as planned; I thought I could get Armin to back down from his theory…_ "Hmph, fine, believe his stupid theory…" she said

Alphonse placed his hands into dirt; a line of large sharp stone spikes arose from the ground along the wall, the blue sparks dancing in the air, the crumbling castle had now been repaired and reinforced with better defenses should a Titan attack them, he dusted off his hands and strolled up to the entrance. Unknown to Alphonse a Beast was watching him, crouched down behind the trees in the distance; observing him use his abilities.

 _What a fascinating ability you have… you're truly something remarkable, now I wonder how I can go about capturing you…_

It had now been two hours since the 104th and Mike's squad arrived at the castle, Mikasa and Armin stood at the tower on lookout, Sasha patrolled along the battlements of the castle with other recruits and some veterans while everyone one else was either asleep or ransacking the crates of contraband which was lying around. Sasha yawned to herself, her eyes began to feel heavy and she lay her head down on the wall of the battlements as she drifted off into a blissful slumber.

Thud!

Her eyes widen instantly.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

 _It can't…_

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

 _It is!_

She scrambled for the pistol in her pocket and loaded an acoustic round into the chamber; she quickly raised it into the air and fired off the shot. Everyone in the castle was alerted by the loud bang, one of the veterans patrolling the wall ran up to her "What is it?" he asked "do you see something?"

"Footsteps!" exclaimed Sasha "coming from the south and east!"

"What is it, soldier?" asked Nanaba arriving at the scene, everyone inside the castle or tower interior began pouring out

"What the hell's going on?" asked Jean as he and the others exited the tower

"Multiple footsteps coming from the South and East!" repeated Sasha, suddenly the sound of a flare being fired caught everyone; a red flare was fired from the top of the tower by Armin pointing it in the direction of the nearby forest, trying to get everyone to look in that direction ,he and Mikasa both watched in dreaded anticipation as something began to approach their position as it violently shook the trees.

"There's no time to get your scarabs, get to your horse and head north!" yelled Nanaba to the mass of recruits and veterans. Suddenly the sound of galloping coming from the north caught their attention; it was Lynne, she urgently rushed into the entrance of the castle, she fired her cables onto the walls and towards Nanaba, she looked utterly terrified.

"Lynne, where's Henning?" asked Nanaba

"He's dead!" cried Lynne "we were ambushed by Titans on our way back, there were dozens of them, they looked to be coming from the north and west and they're heading this way!"

"We're surrounded…" mumbled Reiner, panic soon began to set in among the 104th at the idea that a Titan horde was descending upon them, some began to run around and others broke down sobbing.

Nanaba watched as recruits began to panic, she began to wonder if this was the end for them, if this was where she was going to die; failing her responsibilities to her squad mates and the recruits under her watch.

 _No_

"All soldiers! Gear up and head towards the battlements, prepare to defend this position!" Nanaba ordered, her voice gave off a feeling of furious determination " **WE'RE STANDING OUR GROUND; IT'S THE ONLY WAY WE'LL SEE IT THROUGH THIS BRUTAL NIGHT!"**

The recruits scrambled back into the interior to collect their gear and quickly rushed out onto the battlements; standing side by side with each other "we hardly meet any Titans during the evacuation but now they come down on us all at once" remarked Jean, frustrated as he took his place at the south side of the wall "And here I thought our luck had turned."

Alphonse rushed towards the entrance, he clapped his hands together and transmuted a set of spikes on the ground and sealed up the entrance completely, he fired his cables and reeled himself upwards onto the battlements where he met the others; almost all of them, barring Mikasa, Jean, Ymir and Reiner, looked terrified as they watched the trees near the front of the forest begin to shake and the first Titans appearing from the tree line. Alphonse watched as they entered the open field; he thought about his home back in Resembool and wondered if he'll ever get to see it again, he turned his head towards Mina, standing to his left, who was staring ahead at the incoming Titans, doing her best trying to stave off any fear she had at that moment.

 _I promised your dad I'd look out for you…_ his grips on the handles of his blades tighten _No one is dying on me again..._

Ymir stood next to Krista and began chewing on her own tongue as she watched the Titans slowly approach the castle from the south, she contemplated whether she should bite down and transform possibly giving everyone, mainly Krista, enough time to escape. She looked down at Krista, her hands were visibly shaking and she looked as though she was on the verge of tears; Ymir sighed, she placed one of her blades back in the scarab and with her free hand gently held one of Krista shaking hands, catching her attention "Whatever happens, stay close to me." said Ymir _We're the same Krista, you and I_.

Connie watched with a river of tears flowing from his eyes as two five-meter titans were play fighting with each other _Martin? Sunny? is that you... God, please don't force me to kill them..._

"Stay close, Armin" said Mikasa, she began picking out Titans in the approaching horde who would be the easiest to dispatch, Armin stood by her, the last time he felt tgid terrified in his life than when he came face to face with Annie in her Titan form.

"This is it!" yelled Gelgar as he walked along the battlement trying to raise moral "I don't know about you guys but I'm not about to die before I get a -" suddenly the sound of a large roar from the distance cut him short, they all turned towards the sound to see a large Titan with long spindly arms covered in fur standing atop of Wall Rose.


	26. Chapter 26: Battle for Utgard Castle

**Chapter 26: Battle for Utgard Castle**

The Titan horde descended upon the castle though the majority of eyes were on the Beast Titan who continued its thunderous roar. Nanaba glared at the monster, this wasn't going to be a regular battle between Humans and Titans, no, it was clear to her that they may have lost their edge; their ability to outsmart their enemy, whoever it was, they must have organised the Titans to lay siege to the Castle.

 _That thing, its commanding the Titans…_ thought Armin as he tried to observe both the incoming Titans and the Beast Titan _Its another shifter with the same ability as Annie, if we're going to beat them then we'll need to find a way to take out whoever's in that Titan_

"All hands, split into teams of two!" ordered Nanaba "Do not engage a Titan on your own unless absolutely necessary!"

"Watch my back and I'll watch over yours" said Reiner, trying to make a light hearted comment

"Yeah, of course" replied Bertholdt, anxious about the impending battle

"Stand back, Armin" said Mikasa as she aimed her blades, the moonlight gleaming off its shiny surface

The Titans were now almost at the spikes protecting the castle walls; the larger ones lumbered into them, holding them in place just meters from the wall but the smaller ones, the nine meters and below, were slipping through and were now trying to climb and it was only a matter of time before the spikes gave way to the larger Titans.

"All hands, charge!" yelled Nanaba as she leapt off the wall

A loud cry rang through the air as the 104th and Nanaba's squad jumped off the wall and onto the Titan horde, Connie however couldn't move, it felt as though his feet was nailed onto the spot; he wanted to carry out his duty alongside his comrades as they engaged the Titans but the idea that these Titans were people from his village weighted down on his. He couldn't kill the people he grew up, the people he loved and cared about. Sasha had already jumped off, she spotted a three meter trying to claw at the wall and quickly swung from the side; she struck the Titan's nape killing it instantly, hot blood splattering across the side of wall and her uniform. She swung back onto the wall and saw a clearly distressed Connie looking at the Titans with teary eyes.

"Connie!" she called out

"I… I can't do it, Sasha" he choked out

Using his momentum Jean swung around an eight meter approaching the wall; his fired his cables onto the upper part of its back, reeled himself forward and slashed at its neck. As he descended onto the ground he was quickly made aware of the cries from his partner as he was tore apart by two seven meter Titans, Jean watched on horrified at the sight. "Damn it!" he yelled as he fell back to the battlements

Bertholdt slashed at the eyes of a nine meter Titan, blinding the monster, Reiner quickly took down the Titan during its distracted state.

"Great job" complemented Reiner as he wiped the blood from his face "C'mon, let's take out that big one over there!" he yelled pointing at a fifteen meter who was pushing itself deeper into the spikes trying to get to the wall "We've got a duty to do" Bertholdt stared at Reiner with a questioning look on his face for a few seconds.

"Alright then." Replied Bertholdt, he sounded unsure of himself, like he was wondering about something.

Ymir sliced off the finger of the nine meter Titan trying to grab her, she swung her blades at the Titan's wrist and almost severed its hand, using her gas Krista leapt onto its head, she jumped off, fired her cables into the top part of the Titan's neck, reeled herself towards it's nape and cut out a large gap into its neck. The Titan crashed into the battlements with Krista who hopped off its parted neck

 _My first kill..._ thought Krista

"Great moves, Krista" complemented Ymir playfully "Really living up to the top ten ranking." She looked at Krista with that carefree smile of hers.

"Now's not the time, Ymir" replied Krista, a little bit annoyed that Ymir wasn't taking the situation as deathly serious as her. "Thanks anyway."

Alphonse struck the neck of the seven meter, lifting itself onto the wall; it fell back onto the ground with a loud crash. He quickly spotted a fifteen meter Titan, who had broken through the spikes, approaching him; he fired his cables onto it and leapt from the wall, the Titan swung its hands hitting the cable and causing Alphonse to lose his balance in the air, the Titan then grabbed Alphonse by the waist. He was now caught in its quickly let go of the handles of his ODM gear, clapped his hands and placed them on the Titan's hand; blue sparks quickly formed around the Titans hand and suddenly its arm was blown apart from its body. Alphonse fell back onto the battlements, the large hand cushioning his fall, Mina veered round and swung her blades at the fifteen meter Titan's nape killing it instantly, the large Titan crashing its head into the wall. She landed back onto the battlements and ran up to Alphonse.

"Are you alright?" she asked, kneeling down.

Alphonse rubbed his head "Yeah, I'm fine" he replied

Mina sighed "You know Al, when I talked about saving your life I meant that as a joke" she said light-heartedly as she offered her hand to him "guess that makes us even."

Alphonse looked up at Mina, his eyes widen in shock, he clapped his hands together and slammed them onto the battlements, and Mina quickly looked behind her to see a thirteen meter Titan within less than a few feet from her; its arm reaching out to her and a spike in its neck. The Titan went limp and its hand crashed into the wall. Alphonse picked himself up from the dissolving Titan's palm.

"Guess that means we're back where we started" he joked, he turned his head towards the Titans, more of them were trying to slipping though, he picked up his handles and aimed it at them. "More of them heading our way."

"What's your kill count so far?." asked Mina as she took out new blades from her scarab

"Probably close to twenty" replied Alphonse

"Alchemy kills don't count" ribbed Mina

"Is that so? alright then five." snickered Alphonse

"Damn, two more than me." she caught sight of a smaller Titan, a 3 three meter slipping though "But I can catch in no time."

Mikasa whirled past a ten meter Titan, slicing its neck open she caught sight of another Titan, a five meter with a member of the 104th within its grasp, she fired her cables onto the nape of the Titan and shot herself towards the it, unlatching the hooks she twirled in the air with her blades out, striking it's nape with flawless efficiency. She landed onto the ground and approached the injured Scout

"Th- Thank you…" cried the Scout breathlessly, she picked him up and reeled themselves onto the battlements. She quickly spotted another Titan, a twelve meter who had broken through the spikes; she detached her old blades from the handles and took out a pair of new ones as she stared down the approaching Titan.

A skinny three meter Titan lifted itself up on the wall, peeking its head over the battlements he never saw Armin on the other side; Armin tightly clenched his teeth and using all of his strength he swung one of his blades at the neck of the three meter, the blade cut through the Titan's flesh like a cleaver chopping off a chunk of meat, separating its head from the rest of its body, the three meter titan fell from the wall and onto the ground. Armin peered down at the decapitated Titan to see a now carcass emitting a thick cloud of smoke. "I did it…" muttered Armin, his eyes widen and a wide smile began to form on his face "I killed a Titan!" he cheered, his celebration was cut short when the shadow of a fourteen meter covered him, he stared at the monster which loomed over him with a sickening grin on its face. Suddenly the Titan's expression turned into a pained one as it collapsed onto the ground, Jean then landed onto the battlement, next to Armin, wiping the blood from his face. Mikasa landed next to Armin after killing the fifteen meter Titan, she had caught sight of it just when she was about to kill the fifteen meter and rushed over to save Armin, lucky Jean was there just in time.

"Don't celebrate just yet, Armin" said Jean "We're still not out of the woods."

Armin turns his head towards the tree line; it looked as though only a few more Titans were emerging into the open "no, but it looks like they are." He replied

"We may end up surviving this after all" smiled Jean

Gelgar zoomed towards the eleven meter Titan, its arms out stretched reaching for him "You can't catch me!" yelled Gelgar "you dumb piece of shit!" he swung his blades and sliced off its large fingers, Nanaba veered round the large Titan, fired her cables onto its nape and reeled herself forward, she spun around as she struck the Titan's nape, it's body falling onto the ground. They both fired their cables onto the tower and surveyed the battlefield; all around them were the smoking carcasses of fallen Titans scattered around and on top of the walls, they watched as the veterans and 104th continued to fight and below them the wounded were being dragged or carried into the castle tower and interior. The air was filled with a cacophony of yelling, cries and the sound of wires being fired.

"I'm impressed, Nanaba" complemented Gelgar "A clean cut as usual"

"You shouldn't be doing moves like that" replied Nanaba disapprovingly "You'll waste your blades that way."

"It's just how I fight, I don't back down" Gelgar replied simply "By the way, that was an assist"

Nanaba laughed slightly "sure"

Lynne then fired her cables and reeled herself next to them, blood dripping from her blades

"Lynne, status report?" asked Nanaba

"Nineteen casualties" replied Lynne "eight dead, two of them veterans, and eleven wounded, we've got field medics Alia and Conrad doing what they can" she turned her head towards the battle and "looks like we're holding out so far, the enemy seem to have exhausted their forces attacking us."

"Heh, bastard went all in on this attack and hasn't got fuck all to show for it!" taunted Gelgar at the Beast Titan who sat watching the battle on top of Wall Rose.

The Beast Titan watched impatiently and disappointed at the progress, or lack of it, that his Titans were making in the assault of the castle; his fingers tapped on the edge of the wall as he contemplated his next move.

 _What a disappointment you've all turned out to be_ he thought _still it seems I had underestimated the skill set of these devils; these strange devices are quite ingenious, a big handicap to my forces and those defences_ he thought back to when Alphonse had formed the spikes on the ground around the castle which now held back the larger Titans and made them into immobile targets.

He ceased his finger tapping and grabbed hold on the ledge, his hand breaking off a large chunk of the wall _Its getting awfully boring to watch my side get slaughtered, let's make things a little bit more interesting_ he thought as he stood up from his kneeling position, pulled back his hand holding the large chunk of wall and with his other hand he aimed for the southern wall of the castle.

"Hey what's that sound?" asked Jean, it was a faint whistling at first but then its intensity grew more and more by the second, catching the attention of the soldiers in the castle.

"Incoming!" yelled one of the Scouts

Sasha grabbed Connie jumped off the wall, Alphonse and Mina both lunged into the into the sky and Mikasa grabbed Armin and Jean by their collars and leapt off the wall before the large chunk of collided with the spike and walls, creating a wide opening for the Titans to enter through. Bits of rock and people were flung into the air and onto the ground at the initial impact, sending the southern front of the castle is complete disarray.

Nanaba, Gelgar and Lynne watched the scene unfold before them with a look of shock on their faces; just mere moments ago it looked as though the tide was in their favour but now the enemy may have turned the tables on them as the Titans lumbered into the breach, the monsters began picking off the crumbled line of dazed Scouts.

"Well this ain't good" said Gelgar, a hint of fear in his voice

Nanaba growled in frustration "All hands focus on southern front!" ordered Nanaba, she pushed herself forward from the tower, leading the charge towards the breach "Retake the southern wall!"

Alphonse began to pick himself up on all fours from the ground, he looked up to see Mina doing the same "You alright?" he asked

"I'll be fine" she replied, she turned her head towards the breach she gasped when she saw the Titans beginning to pour in "they're getting in!"

 _I've got to seal that breach_ thought Alphonse as he picked up his blades, he pointed his handles towards one of the Titans and pulled the trigger and began to charge alongside the other Scouts

Jean, Armin and Mikasa quickly got up from the ground; Jean raised his head upwards in the direction of the Beast Titan _that was a fucking cheap shot!_ Mikasa helped up Armin, they quickly came to the realisation that Titans were now entering the castle walls and the Scouts now charging at the incoming horde

"Son of a bitch" muttered Jean

"We have to push them back!" yelled Armin "We have to cover Alphonse and give him enough time to rebuild that wall" the three of them charged into the fray.

Sasha stuck her blade into the hand of the five meter trying to grab at her; she couldn't use her ODM against it at this range and was now doing what she could to keep the Titan away from her. She swung her other blade at the Titan, slashing at its face as it leaned in to eat her. Suddenly the Titan let out a pained cry as it collapsed onto the ground; she drew her blade from the dead Titan's hand and saw Connie standing beside it with tears in his eyes and blood evaporating from his blades.

"I'm so sorry" he mutters as he watched the Titan's dissolving carcass

Ymir slowly opened her eyes, everything was hazy; her vision and her hearing, it all just seemed blurry, she lazily lifted her head upwards to see a small figure with a yellow head swinging around a five meter Titan, as her vision cleared it soon became apparent it was Krista trying to find an opening to strike the Titan but it's erratic movements made killing it a harder challenge than usual. The Titan swung its hand and unintentionally hit her wire knocking her off balance and sending her onto the ground; it then began to approach Krista who was now trying to pick herself up. Ymir's eyes widened, she quickly moved her body slightly to get up but sudden sharp pain from her left side stopped her, she winced from the pain, she tried to move again through it but quickly realized her left arm was being held down by something, she turned to saw that a large chunk of wall had landed on her left arm completely crushing it. She turned back to Krista to see the Titan now looming over her, Ymir had never felt more terrified in years than seeing Krista about to be eaten, that when Ymir noticed she was still holding onto her blade in her right hand.

Krista looked up at the Titan before her; she was terrified by the monster in front of her as it reached down at her, tears fell from her closed eyes as she looked away from it, suddenly a loud crash caught her attention, she looked up to see the Titan had been slain and her hero kneeling down with their back turned to her. She quickly got up and looked over to see it was Ymir who was looking deathly pale and fatigued, that's when Krista noticed that Ymir's uniform on her left side was soaking in blood and her entire left arm was missing.

"You alright?" asked Ymir as she struggled to breathe

"Am I alright?" cried Krista "Ymir your entire left arm is gone!" Krista took off her cloak and began tearing it in half to wrap around Ymir's wound, Krista began to sob heavily as the idea that Ymir could very likely die.

"I'll be fine" said Ymir weakly, Suddenly Connie and Sasha ran up to them both looking at Ymir with a look of shock and fear.

"Oh my God!" panicked Connie "Ymir, your arm!"

"We gotta get you inside!" yelled Sasha, as Connie and Sasha tried to pick her up, Ymir slowly turned her head towards the breach, she saw the Titans pouring in and the Scouts trying desperately to push them back, she knew it was a matter of time before they got overwhelmed.

"Wait…" said Ymir as she slipped through their grasp, she knelt down and faced Krista once more "Krista… do you remember that promise we made? On the day of that snowy mountain training?" Krista nodded her head; she was at a complete loss for words "I…have no right to tell you how to live your life but please, just for me, take back your name…live your life with pride." Ymir picked up her blade with her right hand, stood up and began to charge into the Titan horde.

"Ymir, wait!" cried Krista

"What the hell are you doing?!" yelled Connie

Ymir ran past the carnage around her and, using all the strength she could summon, she leapt from the ground, pulled the trigger to her gas canisters and sent herself flying into a group of Titans coming through the breach

 _Krista, I was once like you; I had once thought it would be better if I'd never been born because it looked as though the world hated me because I dared exist in it. I thought it'd be better to have just died, but what I wanted, more than anything else, was the chance…_

Yellow sparks suddenly began to dance around her as she zoomed towards the Titans

 _To be reborn, the chance to start again…_

A bright ball of light seemed to engulf Ymir, catching everyone's attention

 _The chance…_

There was a seemingly blinding bright flash of light, an intensive gust of wind and an unbearable heat

 ** _TO LIVE FOR MYSELF!_**

There was a high pitched and screechy roar as a five meter Titan with long hair, pointed ears, pitch black eyes and razor sharp teeth and claws collided into the group of Titans; the force of impact knocking them down onto the ground, she pounced onto the back of a nearby seven meter, sunk her claws into the back of its neck and tore its nape from the body, she then sprang onto another Titan, a nine meter, clawing its eyes out before veering her head around its neck and bit down on its nape.

"Ymir…" whispered Krista as she watched her friend mercilessly tear through the horde of Titans.

"What the hell…" whispered Jean as he, Mikasa and Armin stared at the scene unfolding before them, wide eyed and slack-jawed

"That's… that was Ymir." muttered Armin "She's a Titan shifter!"

"Someone tell me I'm dreaming" said Connie "this can't be real…"

"Was that Ymir?" muttered Mina as she and Alphonse watched the five meter Titan tearing apart its own kind

Both Reiner and Bertholdt watched the Ymir with a look of astonishment and disgust "That's… that's the Titan" stuttered Reiner "The Titan we saw that day…"

The Beast Titan continued to observe the battle before him, he watched with a mixture of both curiosity and sadness as the Jaws Titan tore through the Titan horde laying siege to the castle _Oh Marcel… how am I going to tell Porco about this, about your passing?_ The Jaws Titan was now tearing apart the Titan trying to get into the castle, the assault was now crumbling. _My Titans won't be making process anytime soon, Guess I'll have to do this myself._ He grabbed onto the edge and swung his body around, climbing down the wall.

The fighting had now raged back outside of the castle walls as Ymir, backed up by a few Scouts, mopped up the remaining Titans. A trail of scattered smoking Titan carcasses lay in her wake as she ripped off the head of the last Titan, a two meter. When the battle was over, Ymir rushed back into the castle, the Scouts in the courtyard began surrounding her, a look of fear and angry on their faces, Alphonse quickly ran over to the breach and repaired their once devastated defenses. Suddenly Ymir burst out of the Titan's nape, the Scouts around her all flinch and gasp, she pushed herself out of the body, tearing off the bits of nerve connect to her cheeks, she flopped onto the ground and pushed herself up with both arms.

"Ymir!" yelled Krista as she ran towards her, she threw her arms around her in a tight hug; Ymir placed her arms around her smiling. Everyone began to huddle around her and Krista muttering to each other; the vast majority of them were from the 104th souther division, they've known Ymir for years and the reality of her being a Titan shifter who had been living among them left them all completely dumbfounded and shocked.

"Hey!" yelled Jean marching up to them and catching their attention "You've got a lot of explaining to do so you better start now!" he ordered, by the look on his face she could tell he was furious about this.

"Ymir… you're a Titan?" said Connie still in a state of confused shock "but how… and when…"

"Recruit!" came a voice from within the crowd; the Scouts began to split, allowing Nanaba to approach Ymir

"Going to interrogate me?" questioned Ymir as Krista let go of her, the tone of her voice suggested she was agitated for Nanaba intruding on their moment.

"You'll be questioned on everything in due time" replied Nanaba "right now there only one thing that's important; whose side are you on?"

 _I'm on her side…_ "Well considering I just saved your asses" commented Ymir

"This is not a joking matter, recruit" replied Nanaba in an almost threatening tone "If you were really on our side then why didn't you tell us you were a Titan shifter? You could have contributed to the Regiment like Eren and the Elrics, you realise hiding your abilities from us, until now, makes you look suspicious?"

Ymir sighed from exhaustion "Look, all you need to know is that I'm not a threat to humanity, I'll help you hold down the fort and if we get out this alive, then I'll tell you everything." Armin looked over to Reiner and Bertholdt, he noticed that the pair had both flinched and looked almost terribly uncomfortable when Ymir had said that.

Nanaba shut her eyes for a second and sighed, this whole ordeal was complete insanity; Titans showing up in Wall Rose, the Titans launching a coordinated assault on them and now a member of the 104th was a Titan shifter who came to their rescue. "Fine, hope you know you're going to have to explain all this to a military tribunal." She turned to face the crowd of Scouts "round up all the injured and get them into the castle interior, I want a lookout on the tower; if another wave is approaching then I want to know where."

It had only been a twenty minutes after the attack, a steady stream of wounded was taken into the tower where Alphonse worked alongside the field medics. He gently placed the head of a wounded recruit on a folded cloak, he looked down to see their entire leg had been bitten off, what was left was covered in blood soaked bandages. The whole lower floor of the tower was cramped with people; close to over a dozen of them.

"What's our status?" asked Nanaba sitting on the southern wall with Lynne and Gelgar

"We had in total about fifty six Scouts with us at the start, forty three from the 104th and thirteen from our squad; we're now down to about twenty four still being able to fight. Most of the causalities are wounded and they're currently being treated."

"If the defenses don't get breached again then we could probably hold out now that we've got a Titan on our side." Commented Gelgar, the sun slowly began to rise from the East "Looks like we survived the night." He said with a smile on his face "Bastard probably wasted all his Titans on a single attack, I think that calls for a celebration" he picked up the green bottle sitting on the battlement and raised it to his mouth.

Suddenly the sound of a flare being fired off captured their attention; a red column of smoke from the tower stretched across the sky and towards the south "Thee Enemy is approaching from the south!" yelled the lookout. The three of them turned around to see a large horde of Titans from the south.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" yelled Gelgar as he put down the bottle

"An all out attack from the south side" said Lynne "This one looks like a much larger wave"

"All hands form up on the southern wall!" ordered Nanaba

"It never ends, does it?" remarked Jean as he took his spot

"How much gas have you guys got left?" asked Armin

"Less than half in the can." Said Connie

"Same here" added Jean

"Bit more than that" replied Sasha

"More or less" said Mikasa

"Didn't even have enough time to replace my blades." said Mina frustrated as she looked down at her slightly dulled last pair

"Here Mina" said Alphonse, he pressed his hands together and then glided them across her blades, blue sparks flickered in the air, as the metal reformed and its sharpness was renewed

"Thanks Al" said Mina looking up at him

"We'll make do with what we've got" said Reiner "We'll all make it through this, I know we can."

Ymir walked onto the battlement, her left foot on the ledge and a small knife in her right hand. Krista stood by her "Krista, if you and the others want to run then now would be a good time."

"No" replied Krista with an angered look on her face "I'm staying here, we're seeing this through. Together."

The Titans were now at the spikes again, Ymir pounced from the wall and cut her hand with the knife, a large orb of light consumed her and out sprang her five meter Titan letting out his high-pitched roar, she began slashing away at the Titans; wounding them so that the Scouts could finish them off.

"Everyone, charge!" yelled Nanaba, the Scouts once more leapt from the walls and descended onto confused Titans.

Ymir continued the slash away at the Titans; she clawed at the cheek of a twelve meter and pinned it face first into the ground allowing Krista to go in for the kill.

"You ugly fucks!" yelled Gelgar as he cut into the neck of a nine meter "Can't you just quit?!"

Ymir tore off the nape of a thirteen meter Titan she had pinned to the ground, tossing the chunk of dissolving flesh aside, she then spotted it; the seventeen meter tall Titan covered in fur, the giant monkey like Titan, the one commanding the Titan army.

"STaY HeRe" growled Ymir at Krista

"Wait did she just talk?!" exclaimed Connie who had overheard her

Armin hacked at the ankle of the ten meter, Mikasa swerved round and slashed at its nape, as the Titan fell he landed upon the battlements with Mikasa and looked upon the battlefield to see the fur covered Titan approaching the castle _It's here!_

"Mikasa, that Titan is a shifter" he said, keeping his voice low enough so that only they could hear it "It has the same ability as Annie; if we could take it out then the Titan assault becomes leaderless." He looked back at the fur covered Titan _attacking it won't be easy_ he thought _but maybe_ he looked at Ymir who was staring down the same Titan _maybe Ymir could challenge it._

Ymir charged the Beast Titan, she let a high-pitched roar as she sprang towards it with her sharp claws ready to strike, the Beast Titan reeled back its arm and swung it at the Jaws Titan, its fist striking the Jaws Titan's body and sending it flying to the side and crashing into the ground. Ymir quickly got up, the left side of her Titan's body had now caved in but she was still determined to take the Beast Titan down, she charged the Beast Titan once more, the Beast Titan swung its fist again but this time she dodged the attack and slashed at its body, her claws tearing into its flesh. She turned back around only to see the Beast Titan's other arm descending down upon her, it grabbed her by the head, picked her up and slammed her into the ground, it then grabbed her by the neck and raised her up so that they were eye level, Ymir clawed at his hand trying to escape but the Beast Titan's hand had harden with a crystal coating _You're not worthy of the Jaws Titan, of Marcel's Titan._ He slammed her into the ground once again and again, and again, and again and again.

"Ymir" cried Krista as she watched Beast Titan destroyed her.

The Beast Titan reeled back an unconscious Jaws Titan and flung her towards the wall

"Everybody, get back!" yelled Nanaba; most of the Scouts were able to fall back into the courtyard of the castle, however more than a few were caught in the collision. This time the entire southern wall had been destroyed. Ymir's body lay at the centre of the courtyard among the large chunks of rubble around her, the Titans then began to pour in, most of them were descending upon Ymir; tearing away at her to reach the person inside.

"Ymir" cried Krista as she ran towards her "Please I still have to tell you!"

"Krista wait!" yelled Mina

"Don't run off!" yelled Sasha

The Beast Titan watched on as what was left of his Titan army poured into the massive hole, he was about to approach the castle when suddenly he caught sight of a few green flares on the East _Reinforcements…_ _Looks like the battle is theirs_ he sighed in disappointment _well… it can't be helped_ , the Beast Titan then sat down on the ground and a shifter emerged from its nape, he climbed down from the Titan and towards the nearby woods where a Titan on four legs was waiting for him.

"Damn it…" muttered Lynne as she painfully got off from the ground

"Looks like we've been beat…" said Gelgar, more angry than afraid

Nanaba looked around; there looked to be only fourteen Scouts still standing, she gripped the handles of her blade and stood up from the ground "No, this isn't over! As long as we keep putting up a fight we haven't been beaten yet!" she declared "All Scouts form up on me! Protect the wounded!" what was left of the 104th Southern division and the veterans formed up into a thin line.

"I signed up knowing I'd probably die someday, just never thought it'd be this soon" remarked Connie, he had the same look on his face the day Erwin asked them to dedicate their hearts.

 _At least I got to see my dad before I died..._ thought Sasha

Jean turned his head towards the tower and the castle interior which housed his wounded comrades _If the Titans get through then they'll be slaughtered..._ he thought back to Marco death and how unceremoniously he died, Jean gritted his teeth and gripped the handles of his blades till his knuckles were white _No... not again!_

Bertholdt placed his blade on his hand; contemplating whether he should go through with shifting.

Krista ran up to Ymir, suddenly a seven meter Titan approached her, the look on her face was one of utter contempt for the monster as she aimed her handles at it; nothing was going to separate her from Ymir. Suddenly a blurry figure struck the Titan from behind, killing it instantly, the figure then landed; crouching on a piece of large rubble with his back turned towards them, he calmly stood up and turned his head back slightly to face the remaining Scouts.

"Captain Levi!" yelled Nanaba

"Nanaba, you and the 104th stay back" he asked, his authoritative tone did much to reassure them, he turned back to face the Titan horde "We'll handle it from here." As if on Que a cascade of Scouts rained down upon the Titans; their blades drawn ready to strike at them. The 104th and the rest of the veterans burst out into a loud cheer as the reinforcements cut down the remaining Titans.

"Rear guard, secure a perimeter" ordered Hange pointing her blade to the left, she suddenly caught sight of Eren, to her right, launching himself off his horse "Hey wait a mint-" the sound of more cables being fired off from her left caught her attention as she watched Ed leap from his horse too "Damn it you two, you're not part of the offensive!"

Ed zoomed towards an eleven meter and carved out a hole in its nape, using its shoulder as a stepping stone he landed onto the battlement, skidding slightly before coming to a complete stop, he frantically turned his head side to side looking for Alphonse in the ruins of the castle "Al!" he called out "Where are you!"

"Brother!" yelled Alphonse, waving his blade in an attempt to signal his location, once Ed had spotted him among the other Scouts he felt a wave of relief overcome him.

Eren fired his cables onto the upper back of a fifteen meter Titan, he reeled himself forward "Die!" he yelled as he struck the nape of the Titan "I did it! My first kill for the books!" his celebration was cut short when his cables got tangled together while he was still in the air; he tumbled onto the ground and landed painfully into a small pile of rubble

"Idiot!" yelled one of the Scouts "You were told to stay back!"

"Right, I'm sorry sir!" apologized Eren "ouch…"

"Hey Eren!" came a voice to his left, he turned to see it was Connie with Sasha, Reiner and Bertholdt

The once tense battle that hung from a knife's edge had now turned into a slaughter as the remaining Titans were quickly eliminated; the castle was now a mass graveyard of smoking Titan carcasses. A small crowd formed around the Jaws Titan as Hange, Levi and Krista worked to pull her out of her mangled Titan while Eren, Alphonse, Ed, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Reiner, Sasha, Mina, Connie, Bertholdt and other Scouts watched.

"Ymir's a Titan?" asked Eren dumfounded as he stared at Ymir, her right arm and left leg had been tore off and there was no telling what internal damages she had.

"Believe me; we were just as shocked as you are." Replied Jean

Ed began to look around at the group watching Ymir _just how many Titan shifters are there?_

Krista cradled Ymir's head gently in her hand "Ymir" she called out softly, Ymir open her eyes ever so slightly "My name, my real name, is Historia…" Ymir slowly shut her eyes as a small smile form on her lips

Once the dust had settled the first priority was to move the wounded into Wall Sina; The remaining Scout officers quickly decided to transport their surviving comrades to Hermina district. The Scouts began to load their wounded comrades onto wooden carriages, Ymir was placed in a small wagon by herself; a green blanket covering her and her Scout cloak folded into a pillow. The group of Hange, Levi, Nanaba, Eren, Ed, Alphonse, Mikasa and Armin met up on the top of the tower

"So you're saying there is no breach in Wall Rose?" asked Levi

"No, the whole thing is intact." Replied Nanaba

"Well then, this complicates things" said Hange "Reiner and Bertholdt are still the key suspects and it raises the question on how the Titans got in Wall Rose."

"During the battle we encountered this Titan, it was seventeen meters tall and covered in fur, it had controlled the Titans through its screams similar to the ability of Annie Leonhart." Said Nanaba "If I had to guess I'd say he's behind this whole attack."

"Squad Leader Hange, I think I know where the Titans came from" said Armin "Connie talked about how his village was destroyed by the Titans but yet they didn't find any bodies and he and Jean both heard a Titan speak, and that's not the worst part, the Titan was said to look like his mother.."

Hange, Nanaba, Ed, Eren and Alphonse were aghast by the revelation, even Levi's face twitched slightly.

"What you're saying is that the Titans are humans?" asked Hange

"Yes and the Titans inside Wall Rose are likely the ones from Connie's village." answered Armin

"This... actually this makes sense…" added Hange as she came to a sudden epiphany "A Titan's weak spot, no matter the size class, is always one meter down and ten centimeters across and those kinds of measurements are almost identical to the average human spine and brain."

"You've always cut open the necks of Titans we captured but you've never found anything similar to that." Said Levi

"True, but it could be a possibility that the spine and brain may have been absorbed into the Titan's body." Replied Hange

"So what you're saying is that for years the monsters I've sworn to eradicate were actually humans?" asked Levi as he stared at the floor

Ed and Alphonse both thought back to all the Titans they'd killed; Edward tried to shake off the feeling of disgust with himself; he thought back to when the Truth told him about the war on another world when they accepted the mission he struggled to make peace with the reality that if he was to fight he might have to end someone life but now that he discovered the Titans were humans it seemed as though he was struggling to come to terms with the pile of corpses, from the Titans he's slain, on which he now stood on. Alphonse, however, felt sick to his stomach; while he'd never say it a part of him was glad the enemy were Titans because it meant he'd wouldn't have to kill a person but instead monsters, all he could feel in the moment was shame as he thought back to that feeling of pride as he killed his first Titan, his first human being.

* * *

"Tell me, Elrics, are you willing to take a life in order to complete this goal?" asked the Truth

Neither Edward nor Alphonse looked at the Truth as he questioned them; instead they stood there staring into the door of Truth, into this other world they've now tactility agreed to get involved in.

"Or do you intent to stick to your principles?" questioned the Truth

"We'll work as we go." Said Edward, still not looking back at the Truth

The Truth placed its head on its hand and began to softly laugh "Oh boys, I've kept an eye on this world for more than a few of its centuries, if you think you can succeed in your mission without making compromises larger than the ones you've made in your world then you're going to find yourself at a very large disadvantage"

* * *

Armin looked at both Levi and the Elrics, he could tell that his theory had disgusted them and that they were uncomfortable with the idea that they've been killing people thee entire time "There's still no hard proof about the theory" said Armin "I could be wrong; in fact for now let's just assume that I am."

"We'll discuss this further another time then, with Commander Erwin" said Hange "Right now we need to decide what to do about Ymir and the situation with Reiner and Bertholdt."

"She agreed to cooperate with us after the battle." Said Nanaba

"When Ymir had said that she'd explain everything I noticed Reiner and Bertholdt both looked uneasy." Added Armin, Eren looked to the floor with a sombre expression; he had thought that both Reiner and Bertholdt were clear of the charges but now they looked to be key suspects once more and now there was further confirmation of it.

"How do we take them to Stohess without raising the alarm then?" asked Levi

"I imagine that both Reiner and Bertholdt won't let Ymir divulge any information" said Armin "No doubt they'll follow Ymir if we bring her to Stohess." Said Armin _But so will Historia and the others..._

"But Krista is going to follow her too and- and all the other guys!" exclaimed Eren "If the plan fails then they'll be caught in the middle!"

"Believe me I don't like this idea as much as you do..." said Armin saddened by what he was suggesting " but if we brought them along then I doubt Reiner and Bertholdt suspect a trap; having others who are just as in the dark about this as them would give us some cover."

"I don't like this..." said Edward "Putting those guys in the fray again after all this" he said gesturing towards the ruined castle below them

"There has to be a better way which places less people in danger." Added Alphonse

"They're Scouts" countered Levi "Putting their lives on the line at a moment's notice is what they've signed up to do, I say we go with Armin's plan." Though in truth he wasn't too fond of the idea either.

"We'll do everything in our power to make sure this goes off without a hitch." said Hange trying to reassure them "we just need to get them underground then we're in the clear, I'll send a runner to Stohess and inform the local authorities to begin evacuating the residents, we'll also take the long way to buy them more time."

"I thought only commander Erwin had those powers?" asked Edward

"Of course, the message 'came' from commander Erwin" said Hange, tapping on her nose with a sly smile on her face.

"Then it's settled." said Levi "Ymir will act as the bait and your friends as the cover."

"I'll take the rest of my squad and the 104th and escort the wounded" said Nanaba "Good luck with the rest of the mission." she saluted the group, placing her fist onto the left side of her chest, the rest of them saluted back.

As Reiner filled up some empty gas canisters he looked up at the tower where the Scout officers, the Elrics and his friends talked, he wondered about the conversation they had to warrant secrecy from everyone else and weirder still why Armin and Mikasa were in on it. He turned back to face the wagon Ymir was lying in, Krista sat with her. Bertholdt was sitting next to him, replacing his blades in his scarab "We should do it." Said Reiner in a slightly angered hush tone

"What?" asked Bertholdt confused

"Capture them; Eren, Ymir, Historia and the Elrics they're all here in one location... we can end this right here and now."

"No, wait..." said Bertholdt desperately, he looked around at all the wounded members of the 104th being loaded onto wagons "we can't... the Scout reinforcements have already arrived and Captain Levi is with them, everyone's already on high alert so we won't have the drop on them." Reiner looked at Bertholdt with an almost bitter expression, Bertholdt sighed "please just... not now, we'll try and talk to Ymir first." Reiner turned away from him and walked up to Historia carrying two scarabs full of blades with their gas canisters attached

"Here's the rest of your gear" said Reiner in an overtly friendly tone "You alright Krista?"

"I'm fine, just a little tired" replied Historia "and my name's not Krista, its Historia..."

"Oh right, sorry" replied Reiner "You know, Ymir's lucky to have someone like you close to her; you're a good person and an even better friend, you should probably get some sleep it's a long way to Stohess.

"Thank you, Reiner" said Historia weakly smiling at him "You really are our big brother." Reiner turned around to face Bertholdt; the bitter look on his face was replaced with a lighter expression

"Hey Bertholdt, what's wrong?" he asked confused by the baffled look on Bertholdt's face, he then noticed his friends walking up to him "So you guys are coming along also?"

"Yes, Ymir's our friend too" said Sasha

"If what Nanaba says is true, that Ymir will be put in front of a military tribunal, then we'll need to be there to support her." Said Mina

"Also I...just want to know what the hell is going on..." added Connie

"We don't even know if they'll let us go with her first" said Jean, they then caught squad leader Hange walking up to the wagon, and she placed her hand at the side and peered inside.

"Is she alright?" she asked Historia

"I.. I don't know" replied Historia

"You're coming along with us?" Hange asked

"Yes, Squad Leader"

"Squad Leader" said Reiner as he saluted her "If I may, we'd-"

"You guys want to come along too?" interrupted Hange, the group nodded at her, she gave them a sympathetic smile "Alright, get in the wagon over there; it's a long trip so get some sleep, we'll reach Stohess at around midnight.

"Hey Al" said Ed grabbing on the shoulder "You've had a rough night, why don't you go with them and get some rest; I'll take your horse with me."

"Thank you, brother" replied Alphonse; he walked up to the wagon.

Reiner folded his cloak and placed it at the side of the wagon, resting his back on it; he turned his head off to the side and spotted a lone Scout riding off to the east. Both Sasha and Connie were fast asleep, their heads resting on Jean's shoulders as he drifted off. Armin rested his head on Mikasa's shoulder. Bertholdt fell asleep cross legged with his head dangling off the side and his neck resting on his cloak which was covering the side of the wagon and Alphonse sat in the corner of the wagon, his arms crossed and his head turned slightly to the side and next to him was Mina, with her head resting on her knees, using her folded cloak as a pillow. Historia still sat next to Ymir, staring at her sleeping figure with worried eyes.

Night had already fallen over the small Scout convey; the raven sky was bathed in a blanket of small bright stars and little bright yellow flickering embers outlined the walls of Stohess.

"Hey!" yelled Levi as he banged his fist onto the side of the wagon "wake up, we're at Stohess" the small group opened their eyes from their slumber feeling groggy as they were abruptly woken "Get your gear on; the gates sealed until Wall Rose's interior has been deemed clear so we'll have to climb."

As they arrived at the outer wall of Stohess, convey dismounted, the small group placed their scarabs and ODM gear back onto themselves

"Being wedged between you two was the most uncomfortable I've ever been in my entire life" growled Jean to Sasha and Connie

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I slept fine" Joked Connie as Sasha laughed, just for a moment he had forgotten about the horrors he witnessed and the fate of his family.

Hange lifted up the cloak covering Ymir; most of her external injuries were almost fully; her right arm and left leg, which had been tore off, had returned with the exception of the top hand of her foot and fingers. "She's still unconscious" said Hange "Bring over the stretcher" Historia, Armin and Eren lowered her onto the stretcher and fasten belts around her to be lifted up.

"Alright, I'll see you guys up on the wall." Said Reiner as he fired his cables, the hooks from the crane on top of the walls were lowered down and attached to the stretcher carrying Ymir, she was then slowly lifted up.

"Hey" said Levi to one of the Scouts "find a place to tie up the horses, he then turned to the group "you guys, up the wall, c'mon get moving." They fired their cables onto the walls and reeled themselves upwards, Eren pulled himself onto the top of the large wall; he turned to see Reiner, standing next to Bertholdt, staring off into the distance of Stohess with a bewildered look on his face.

 _What's going on?_ Thought Reiner as he stared into the unusually dimly lit city _where is everyone, this place should be packed with refugees and people..._ then it hit him; the secret meeting, the lone rider heading off in the same direction before them and now a seemingly almost empty Stohess... his eyes widen _its a trap! But how did they..._ then he remembered the interview with Hange after the expedition about Annie.

 _They caught her; that's how Armin got in on it..._

Ed took Alphonse's hand as he helped him up the wall, Historia and Mina carried the stretcher onto the middle of the wall, the whole group was now on the top of the wall of outer wall of Stohess.

"Eren" said Reiner in a deathly serious tone "did she tell you?"

Eren felt his stomach drop at the question "wha.. What do you mean 'she'?" he asked, trying to act confused

"Annie" Reiner stated clearly, allowing everyone to hear him; Mikasa, Armin, Ed, Alphonse, Hange, Levi and the other Scouts froze in place. Jean, Connie, Sasha, Mina and Historia could sense the tension in the air through the almost deathly silence around them.

"I don't know what you mean, Reiner" said Eren, breaking the silence, a bead of sweat ran down his forehead "what do you mean 'has Annie told me?"

Reiner sighed "I'm... I'm such a fucking idiot..." he said his voice sounded as if he was both frustrated and sadden about something "I've been here for too long... three years of living in this hell, surrounded by idiots." All eyes were on him, Bertholdt, who was standing next to him, looked distressed "We were just kids; we didn't know about anything, I've allowed my resolve to weaken... and it's all because I had to meet you bastards..." he attaches a blade onto his handle "To hell with this, I don't know what's right anymore but I will face up to what I've done." He places the blade's edge on the palm of his hand and slices it open, bright yellow sparks appear around him, Eren watches in complete abject shock, thee other members of the 104th, who weren't in on the plan, all felt their stomachs drop as they caught sight of the bright sparks around Reiner "As a warrior and I will fulfil my duty!"

"Reiner!" exclaims Bertholdt "Right here? Now? We're doing this?"

"Yes! Right here, Right now, we are settling this!" proclaims Reiner as he walks towards Eren, bright yellow sparks of light continued to appear around him, Eren watched in complete abject shock. Mikasa sneaks up from behind Eren, leaps around him and slashes at Reiner, he raises his arms to defend himself only to have his right arm cut off and the blade buried in his left.

Bertholdt panicked as he watched Reiner get attacked but that did not stop him from noticing the sound of running footsteps behind him; he turns his head to see Captain Levi, who had snuck up on him from behind during Reiner's speech, charging towards him. Levi swings his blade at Bertholdt's neck, aiming to behead the tall traitor, Bertholdt quickly steps back, ducks slightly to dodge thee attack and raises his hands up to protect himself. He barely avoids Levi's killing strike but he wasn't totally out of reach from the attack; Levi's blades severs both of Bertholdt's hands from his wrists and slashes at his eyes. Bertholdt falls to the floor crying in agony as blood begins to pour from his wrists and eye sockets.

Mikasa tries to swing her other blade, aiming for his neck, but misses completely, Reiner quickly side-steps and kicks Mikasa off the wall into Stohess, he turns his head to see Levi walk up to Bertholdt, who was desperately trying to crawl away from him. He stomps on Bertholdt's neck, pinning him to the spot, and raises his blade ready to pierce into his heart.

"For all the lives you've taken, you son of a bitch" Levi was ready to end Bertholdt life but Reiner charges in and knocks Levi off of the wall into Wall Rose's interior

"Bertholdt!" exclaims Reiner looking down at his wounded friend; he quickly places himself in front of his grievously wounded friend and stared down his former comrades who looked at the two of them with pained expression of shock and terror.

The 104th watch as the yellow sparks began to appear once more around the two of them, the bright flashes of light growing more and more intense with each second, Eren watched, frozen in place by his immense feeling of shock, sorrow and betrayal as more of the people he looked up to reveled themselves to be the monsters who ruined his life. Suddenly Edward grabs Eren by the back of his collar and quickly drags him further away from them before two large bolts of lightning struck the floor; sending them both flying and tumbling further down the wall.

An almost colossal gust of wind sends everyone flying back and Ymir carried off into the air, the torches which had lit up the wall were quickly blow out, yet the top of the wall seemed to be set ablaze by the mass explosion of bright light, the hellish heat and smoke had made the air almost unbearable. Eren clung onto the rail tracks of the wall, he moves his head upwards to see the Colossal Titan raise its skinless head from the thick cloud of smoke, letting out a roar which shook the very earth itself. It raised its hand up, its enormous arm leaving those under it in total darkness from its shadow under the moonlight for a good few seconds as it grabbed Ymir with its monstrously large hands.

"Ymir!" cried Historia as she saw her friend caught in the hand of the Colossal Titan.

Suddenly the smoke in front of them parts as the Armoured Titan begins to advance towards him, cracking the wall with every footstep. Ed, Alphonse and the Scouts all stare at the monster before them; its large muscular form was covered by cream colored plating with only thin lines of red muscle between them and it looked at them with its brilliant yellow eyes. It reaches out to grab Eren but is stopped when two spikes rapidly jut out of from the floor and pierce the Armour Titan plating; stopping him in his tracks, Eren turns his head to the side to see Ed with his hands placed down on the floor, glaring at the Armoured Titan with gritted teeth. Eren turned back to the Armoured and Colossal Titans, tears being blown from his eyes; he shut them and thought about those happier years in the Cadet Corps.

 _Bertholdt... Reiner..._

He reopened his eyes, there was an insatiable fire behind them as he got up from the ground, placed his clenched fist into his mouth and bit down.

 ** _YOU DAMN TRAITORS!_**

There was a blindingly bright explosion of light, the scouts covered their eyes as Eren was engulfed in a large mass of muscle and skin. Ed lowered his hand to see a familiar fifteen meter tall muscular Titan with piercing green eyes, black oily hair and jagged teeth, it let out a vicious roar before charging towards the Armoured Titan, tackling him off the spikes and sending them both flying off the wall and into Stohess.

* * *

So I managed to find the time to write this chapter, still expect the other one to be somewhere between late January and early February


	27. Chapter 27: The Clash

**Chapter 27: The Clash**

As the Armoured Titan and Eren's Titan descended into Stohess Eren swung his fist at the Armoured Titan's head, pushing him further down, before they both crashed onto the buildings below, dust and debris being thrown into the air and the ground cracking under the weight of the two Titans.

Mikasa could only watch as the two of them plummeted into the floor "Eren!" she yelled out, as the dust settled she caught sight of the Armoured Titan, Reiner's Titan, lying on the ground _why… why didn't I cut his head off?_ She thought to herself _why couldn't I kill him?_ she thought back on the fight not a minute ago, she had held back when she launched her attack and now her hesitation had cost them dearly _I… I can't let that happen again._

Eren's Titan quickly got up to his feet as the Armoured Titan causally got up to his; Eren charged in with a hard right hook as the Armoured Titan was on its knees, its fist collided with the Armoured Titan's face but the only damage done was to Eren's hand; his fingers were crushed on impact with the Armour plating. The Armoured Titan pushed Eren back slightly and launches his own punch; the fist connects to Eren's face and sends him flying into a line of houses.

The Scouts stared in abject shock at the Colossal Titan before them; even though only the upper half of its body had formed its massive size towered over them, they were but mere bugs in its presence. Levi rushes over to them "Is everyone alright?" he asks

"Eren's off to fight Reiner!" replied Ed, turning his head in the general direction of the two.

Jean clenched his teeth; he attached the blades to his handles and charged off the wall going after Eren and the Armoured Titan

"Jean wait!" yelled Connie as he took his eyes off the Colossal Titan for a second to watch his friend jump off the wall, he quickly turned his attention back to Bertholdt. "I… I… I just… What the hell is going on?" he exclaimed

The Colossal Titan pulls back its arm, is palm out stretched, and swings towards the Scouts in a sweeping motion. "Everybody off the wall, now!" yelled Levi, as the enormous hand dropped down towards them the Scouts scuttled off the wall; in their panic Edward and Alphonse ran off in opposite direction from each other, Ed, Levi, Hange, the 104th and a bunch of other Scouts had thrown themselves into Stohess. The Colossal Titan hand crashed into the wall from the side of Wall Rose's interior and skid its arm across Wall Sina; chunks of rock were tossed into the sky. The group fired their cables onto the side of the wall.

"It's got Ymir" cried Historia as she caught sight of Ymir in the Colossal Titan's clutches

"He's got another person!" yelled one of the Scouts, all of them quickly turned their attention to its other hand; Ed's stomach dropped, he eyes widen to its fullest extent and his jaw almost fell off its hinges as he caught sight of it.

"Al!" he yelled as he saw Alphonse caught in the clutches of the Colossal Titan's skinless hand, Alphonse didn't respond; he looked to be unconscious. What Ed saw next almost made him throw up; the Colossal Titan then threw both Ymir and Alphonse into is gigantic mouth devouring the two, its mouth closing shut with a sickening chomp.

Krista's eyes widen as she watched Ymir being locked inside the Colossal Titan's mouth, she was at a complete loss for words.

"Bertholdt…" muttered Armin, even though he knew Bertholdt was the Colossal Titan the dramatic revelation and horrific turn of events still left him in a state of shock.

"No… It can't… it can't be." Muttered Sasha, distressed by their betrayal

"Bertholdt… Reiner…." Whispered Mina completely dismayed "How could you…"

Ed was almost on the brink of breaking down into tears, until he felt a burning heat within him; it was pure white hot rage, the same kind of anger and hatred he felt for Shou Tucker after he transmuted Nina and Alexander. He gripped the handles of his gear so hard his knuckles threaten to stick out of his skin as he glared daggers at the Colossal Titan.

Levi bit down on his lower lip as he observed the Colossal Titan _You didn't kill them_ he thought _no, you need them and Eren alive._ Suddenly the Colossal Titan swings its left arm at them; in an effort to squash the Scouts on the other side "Everyone drop now!" yells Levi, the group detach their cables from the wall and narrowly avoid the Colossal Titan hand trying to squish them like bugs. As he brings back his hand the crushed body of one of the Scouts fell to the ground before them and a massive crack in the wall was shown.

"Hange" yelled Levi, catching her attention "You led team one and the 104th and distract him, I'll lead team two and go in for the-" he was interrupted by the sound of cables being fired and gas being forced out of the exhaust, they quickly turned their attention to Edward who had shot himself upwards into the air; charging towards the Colossal Titan, Historia quickly followed suit; there was a burning fire in her eyes as she charged forward determined to either save Ymir or avenge her.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Hange as they watched them zoom off towards the Colossal Titan. Hange narrowed her eyes and let out an angered growl "Soldiers go now, attack the Colossal Titan" she ordered.

"Those damn brats" growled Levi; they quickly leapt from the wall, their gas propelling them upwards into the air.

"Kill the Colossal Titan!" ordered Hange "That monster is Humanity's greatest enemy; it must not be allowed to live!"

Ed and Historia zoomed towards the Colossal Titan; the enormous monster swung its gigantic fist at them but they easily maneuvered his sluggish attack by swirling around his enormous arm

"Too slow you giant piece of shit!" taunted Ed, he flew past its face, the two of them catching each other glances, Bertholdt felt a small pang of fear as he caught a glimpse of the anger he saw on Ed's face. He shifted eyes towards Historia, who was just trailing behind Edward, before his vision suddenly turned black.

 _Wuh?_ Thought Bertholdt

Levi flew past the Colossal Titan's gaze; his blades and the right side of his uniform was soaked in the blood of the Colossal Titan as he sliced its eyeballs leaving a large cut where two large eyes should be "I need two people to go for the jaw, retrieve Alphonse and Ymir!" he ordered "the rest of you, kill this son of a bitch!"

 _Damn it_ thought Levi _this isn't what I had in mind, something's gonna go wrong…_

Mina and Sasha fired their cables into the hinges of the jaw and reeled themselves forward; their blades ready to strike while Armin and Connie fired their cables onto the top lip of the Colosal Titan, ready to snatched Ymir and Alphonse from its mouth.

 _So you were the one staring down on us that day, Bertholdt..._

Ed flew past the neck and was now behind the Colossal Titan,he spun around, fired his cables onto the nape of its neck and tilted his blades ready to cut an opening, he caught sight of the other Scouts around him swarming its nape. Ed pull the trigger and quickly reeled himself forward;he wanted to be the first one there, to drag Bertholdt out into the open and beat him to a bloody pulp.

"He's wide open!" yelled Hange "Go for the nape!" they quickly descended into the Colossal Titan, it looked as though victory was at hand and they were now about to rid themselves of the biggest threat to humanity. Suddenly a furious gust of steam burst from the Colossal Titan's body pushing back the Scouts, disrupting their attack and leaving them suspended in the air. The steam was unbearable; it felt as though they were being cooked alive and the air seemed to set fire to their lungs as they tried to breathe.

"Everyone, fall back!" ordered Hange as she detached her blades from the nape, allowing herself to be carried off by the steam, the rest of the Scouts followed suit, Ed wanted to press the trigger to pull himself forward and continue on with the attack, but the hellish heat forced him to fall back. The Scouts broke through the smoke and onto the top of the wall; they were drenched in the condensation and some had sustained burn injuries from their exposure to the steam attack.

"My hand…" groaned one of the Scouts

"Are you guys alright?" asked Connie, as he looked towards his friends

"We're fine" coughed Sasha as she helped Mina off the ground; they all looked back at the Colossal Titan

"Damn you… Bertholdt." Whispered Mina as a mixture of both the bitterness of being defeated by her enemy and the sadness of fighting a person she once considered her friend overcame her, she thought back to Annie, who must be terrified at the sight; Mina remembered that she was part of the refugees that came in from Wall Maria that day _how am I going to tell her?_ She thought.

Ed broke through the smoke and rolled onto the floor, he quickly picked himself up and fired his cable at the Colossal Titan once more, but the intense gust of steam forced the steel hooks to go off to the side; the Colossal Titan was now untouchable. "Al!" Ed cried, suddenly he felt someone kick him in the back of his knee; forcing him to fall onto his knees.

"Idiot" said Levi in his calm yet authoritative tone "You just had to run off didn't you? We could have had that bastard's head on a plate if you'd had just stayed put and acted as a unit, the same goes for you too brat" he said turning his attention to Historia who looked onto the floor with an immense feeling of guilt filling her. Ed punched the floor; he was completely frustrated with himself for rushing off, he slowly picked himself up again and huddled around Hange and Levi.

"Is he trying to vanish again?" asked Hange as she observed the Colossal Titan

"No, this is different" replied Armin "He disappeared completely last time, this is prolonged; it's like he's trying to protect himself with the steam and because of that we can't touch him."

"Got any ideas on what to do Hange?" asked Levi

Hange looked to the ground with a bitter expression on her face "Nothing…" she replied to a crowd Scouts shocked at what she was suggesting "He can't keep up this up forever; his body's going to burn out at some point and until then we'll just have to bind our time till the right moment comes. Levi you take over the fight against the Colossal Titan, teams two, three, four and the 104th will be under your command"

"Got it" replied Levi

"Team one and Ed, you're on me" she said as she walked towards the edge of the wall. "We're going after the Armoured Titan!" she, Ed and a group of Scouts leapt off the Wall and plummeted into Stohess, Ed looked back at the Colossal Titan's mouth _I'll come back for you Al_

"Everyone huddle up" ordered Levi waving them over to him "Here's the plan, we're gonna surround the bastard; team two and three I want you at the flanks, team four I want you at the rear, when the time comes team two and three will swarm the bastard and act as a distraction while team four goes for the kill and brats I want you at the front, your job will be to rescue Ymir and Alphonse, understood?"

"Yes sir" replied the Scouts

"Good… Also if you have the opportunity, kill him; we're not taking prisoners anymore."

In the piles of rubble Eren's Titan lay motionless as his Titan body tried to recover from the devastating blow the Armoured Titan dealt him; his whole body was giving off thick clouds of steam as it tried to repair itself. The Armoured Titan got up to its feet and stared at Eren's Titan body lying in the rubble of the marble buildings before walking over to him, seemingly assured of its victory.

 _Reiner…_ _You're a real piece of shit_ thought Eren bitterly as the memories of their years in the Cadet Corps came back to him

 _You'd always talk about what it meant to be a soldier; always talking about honor, duty, responsibility… who knew you were talking out of your ass the entire time_

 _All that time in hand to hand fighting you were holding back?_ Eren tried to move his arms, but all he could do was twitch slightly, it felt as if his body was being held down by heavy weights.

 _I always saw you as the best of us; you were strong, reliable, you could always keep a cool head not matter what and you always put your comrades first without exception…_

The ground cracked beneath the weight of the Armoured Titan as he closed in on Eren's Titan.

 _Damn you… I looked up to you… All I ever wanted was to be like you!_

Mikasa fired his cables onto the nape of the Armoured Titan; she zoomed towards it with her blades ready to strike. She twirled through the air and struck the heavily plate nape; however the attack did absolutely nothing instead her blades broke on impact leaving only the stubs connected to her handles. However Jean still followed her example; he fired his cables onto the Armoured Titan's nape, reeled himself forward and slashed his blades at its nape, his own blades splintering into pieces. They landed onto one of the roofs of the houses, only just a few meters from the Armoured Titan.

"Damn it! We can't do shit against him!" yelled Jean as he stamped his foot on the tiles "Those bastards" he growled thinking about Reiner and Bertholdt. Suddenly the sound of cables zipped to the side catches their attention; it was Ed.

"What's happening?" he asks as he observed the Armoured Titan

"We can't stop him, it's like nothing seems to hurt him" replied Mikasa "Not Eren's attacks, not our blades; his whole body's covered!" they watched as the Armoured Titan continued its advance towards Eren unhindered. "Eren!" she yelled trying to alert him

"Hey blockhead!" yelled Jean "Get the hell out of there!"

Eren sharply awoke from his dream state and moved his eyes forward towards the Armoured Titan, a familiar feeling of rage quickly began to boil inside him.

 _Reiner…I don't know what going through your mind right about now but I hope you two know…_

Eren's hands quickly regenerated his hand and clenched it into a fist; he thought back to the day five years ago when he saw the Colossal Titan over the gate of Shiganshina, the Armoured Titan breaking the gate of Wall Maria and his mother being eaten in front of him.

 _That you two are worse than scum; I doubt there's a person in the history of mankind that has done anything even close to the crimes you've committed…_

Eren's Titan rose from the ground in an almost zombie like state, Mikasa quickly swapped out her blades and was about to charge off again until Jean grabbed her cloak stopping her "Wait Mikasa!" he yelled. The three of them watched wide eyed as Eren came to a standing position.

 _You're nothing but a pest, a disgusting bug; it makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about all that pride and heroic bullshit that spewed from your mouth. You make me want to vomit._

Eren's Titan pulled back his right arm; preparing to throw another hard punch to Reiner's face.

 _You...Berthold…Annie… the Titans, you're nothing but disgusting vermin!_

He threw a hard right punch, his fist colliding with the Armoured Titan's face, pushing the Armoured Titan's head slightly to the side.

 ** _AND I WILL WIPE YOU OUT!_**

The Armoured Titan seems to absorb the blow to his face and threw his own punch to Eren; shattering his jaw and knocking him straight into the air, Mikasa, Jean and Edward gasp at the punch and the sheer strength behind its impact.

"Minister!" yelled out one of the cultist "we must leave; the mayor had ordered an evacuation" suddenly the sound of muffled boom was heard outside the church causing the cultist to flinch.

"Just hold on!" replied Minister Nick as he gathered his books and the fragments of rock from the wall; he wasn't about to let any of this out of his sight, with the Scouts in the city he knew that a certain curious Scout officer could be with them and she just might try and take more items from the church like she had done last time _If they find out about the secret…_

Suddenly there was a loud crash as a fifteen meter Titan landed on top of the church, squashing the cultist who accompanied Minister Nick under the massive muscular body, Nick ducks his head trying to cover himself from debris. Nick lowers his arms to see chunks of rubble and shards of coloured glass lying around him and a large Titan with half its face caved in front of him.

"Im…impossible…" he exclaims

Ed, Mikasa and Jean watched horrified at the Eren's inability to damage the Armoured Titan

"Guy's a walking tank!" exclaims Edward

"Tank?" questioned Jean

"I'll tell you later!" replies Edward "We can't do anything to him if he has that Armour plating around him; we're as good as useless." Ed kneels down and slams his fist at on the tiles _C'mon think! Think damn it!_ He turns his head and looks back at the Colossal Titan on the Wall… _Wall_

He thought back to what Hange said about the composition of the walls and his fight with Annie where she demonstrated his hardening crystal abilities, he looked back at Reiner _Could they…_

Ed stands up "I have a plan; Jean I need you to distract Reiner for me"

"Got it!" replied Jean

"Mikasa, I'm going to need you to fling me towards Reiner's face."

 _Just give up, Eren_ thought Reiner as he approached Eren's Titan who was now trying to stand up once more, Reiner causally approached like a predator _neither_ _you nor the Scouts can beat me_

Jean zipped over to one of the houses along Reiner's path "Hey asshole!" he yelled trying to catch Reiner's attention "You use to talk a lot of shit about being a soldier! But you're nothing but a piece of shit traitor!"

Reiner stopped in his tracks and turned his head towards Jean, Jean flinched slightly as the Armoured Titan stared at him but he quickly recomposed himself "I can't believe I considered you as a friend, you fucking bastard!"

 _Jean… shut up_ thought Reiner as he pulled his arm back to strike at the building Jean was on

Ed fired himself into the air and let go of his handles, Mikasa zoomed towards Edward grabbed his air and spun him around and threw him towards Reiner, Ed clapped his hands together while he was thrown towards the Armour Titan, he pulled back his hands and slammed it into the left side of the armored plating around Reiner's face. The armoured plating exploded as Ed deconstructed it; shards of it were thrown into the air, Jean quickly fires himself towards Ed grabbing him in the air and lands them both safely on the ground. Reiner pulls back slightly and begins to feel the exposed left side of his face; his fingers running over his rough muscular face.

 _What the hell?_

Eren's eyes widen as he now saw his opening to strike, he pulls back his right arm, balls is hand into a fist and throws a hard right hook at Reiner's exposed face; sending Reiner crashing down into some of the buildings. Reiner rolls onto his back and sits up looking at Eren's Titan who's bright green eyes glared at him with murderous intent as he cast a shadow over the Armoured Titian's. He doesn't notice Ed running along the rooftops next to him; Ed leaps from the edge of the damaged building, clasps his hands together and slams them onto Reiner's right side deconstructing the armored plating.

 _Damn him!_ Thought Reiner _That bastard!_

Eren grabs Reiner by his front plating, pulls him upwards and launches a barrage of punches at Reiner's exposed face; his strength and rage behind his punches only grew in its intensity as the memories of Shiganshina start flooding back, he throws Reiner into another line of houses, Eren pins Reiner to the ground and lets out a savage roar which shatters the glass of the nearby buildings

"Has he lost control?" asks Hange as she and the other Scouts as they watched Eren annihilate Reiner.

Reiner's face was engulfed in a thick cloud of steam but Eren wasn't going to give him the opportunity to grow back his armoured plating; he launched a fast assault of punches at Reiner, even tearing some of the armoured plating from his skin before rapidly throwing more punches.

"He'll kill him at this rate!" said Jean as he watched Eren's attack on the Armoured Titan, even though Reiner had ousted himself as the enemy a small part of him still couldn't bring himself to not be remorseful over the beating Reiner was taking. However the other Scouts didn't seem to share the same sentimet

"Yeah Eren!" yelled one of the Scouts "Tear him out into the open!"

"No Mercy!" yelled other

"Make that traitor pay!" yelled a third

 _I… I won't die here_ thought Reiner as Eren threw another punch into his right cheek _I have a job to finish… and I cannot fail!_ Using all of his strength Reiner pushes Eren off of him and into a pile of rubble, Eren tries to get up but Reiner picks him up and throws him onto the main road; putting some distance between the two.

As Eren once more tries to get up on his feet again, Reiner charges at him and tackles him into the ground, he then picks up Eren and places him on his shoulder, Eren tries to struggle out of Reiner's grip but fails as he repeatedly slams his fist onto his armour plated back.

"He's trying to take Eren outside of Stohess!" yelled Hange "Soldiers, prevent the Armoured Titan from reaching the gate!" Mikasa surges through the air towards the Armoured Titan and strikes his Achilles heel, Jean, Hange and the other Scouts all quickly follow suit but to no avail; they couldn't slow down the Armoured Titan.

Reiner then charges forward holding Eren. Ed overtakes them and shoots himself further ahead, he lands onto the main road and transmutes a block in Reiner's path in a desperate attempt to stop him but Reiner crashes through the wall, Ed quickly jumps off to the side and avoids the massive Titan charging forward. Reiner crashes through the gate of Stohess into Wall Rose's interior with Eren, chunks of debris falling around them as a massive hole through the gate was made.

"What the hell was that?" yelled Connie, the sound of the loud crash behind them took their focus from the Colossal Titan. They rushed over to the side of Wall Rose's interior to see the Armoured Titan and Eren's Titan both lying on the ground surrounded by large chunks of the gate. Jean and Mikasa scale the wall and rush over to the edge where the rest of the 104th looked down watching the battle.

Eren's Titan was the first to get up onto its feet, its body slumped and hunched over as it tried to repair the broken bones it had sustained from the attack, coulda of steam poured from his body. He quickly shuffled away from Reiner; trying to put some distance between them so that he could focus on repairing the damage done to his Titan.

"Eren!" yells Armin, he jumps down from the wall and lands onto its side and he was now at eye level with Eren, Eren looked at Armin "Reiner's trying to kidnap you have to get back into Stohess, you're in no shape to keep on fighting!" Eren turned his head back to the entrance only to see the Armoured Titan was now back on its feet however even his condition looked terrible; his face and parts of his chest had yet to regenerate its armoured plating. It looked as though neither Titans were in any shape to continue but neither of the shifters weren't looking to back down.

Hange, Ed and team one quickly arrived at the scene "Eren I found a way to beat Reiner" said Hange "I need you to hold him down" she then looked to Ed "Once that happens then I need you to destroy the armoured plating around his nape, then we go in for the kill! Understood?"

"Understood" replied Ed, he turns his head upwards to the Colossal Titan above them "Then we get Al back."

Eren nodded his head, Hange looked at Eren a little shocked _wait he understood what I said? HOLYFUCKINGSHIT_

The Armoured Titan began to circle them, he was now staring them down, with Eren's back up against the wall, and began to advance towards Eren. "Good luck you two" said Hange as she and Armin fell back to higher ground

"Eren, I need you to get him into a leg lock" said Ed "I'll trip him up and you pin him down."

 _I've got to keep my wits about me_ thought Reiner eyeing Ed _If he tries to come at me again then I'll have to swat him like a bug…_ Reiner dug his feet into the ground and pushed himself forward, charging towards them with the speed of a rabid bull. Ed clapped his hands together and slapped the wall; a large fist burst straight out of the left side of thewall and curves around.

Reiner turns his head to the side slightly, noticing the large fist coming at him _What the..._ the fist strikes the Armoured Titan in the right side of its face sending him skidding into the ground; Ed transmute the fist back into the wall while Eren charges at the downed Armoured Titan, Eren grabs his legs and places the Armoured Titan into a spinal lock; he hooked Reiner's legs into his arms. Reiner digs his hands into the ground and tries to crawl away, dragging both him and Eren under the shadow of the Colossal Titan. Ed prepares to descend onto the Armoured Titan when suddenly it lets out a vicious roar, Ed hesitates; the Scouts quickly scan their surroundings.

"Can Reiner call Titans too?" questioned Jean

"There can't be any more of them" said Armin as he frantically observed the surrounding area

"Soldiers watch the perimeter!" ordered Hange

 _Screaming for help won't save you Reiner!_ Thought Eren as he pulled on the Armoured Titans legs and dug his knees into the dirt, suddenly the sound of loud snapping echoed in the air.

"What the…" mutters Connie, the Scouts close by then quickly noticed the ribs of the Colossal Titan breaking and its monstrous large body shifting to the side. "Oh fuck! No! No! No!"

"Everyone move!" Levi yells "Hange lookout!" Levi leaps from the wall, Hange looks up to see the shadow of the Colossal Titan looming over them; she stares at the Colossal Titan in wide eyed shock when suddenly she's tackled by Levi who quickly moves them out of the way of the Colossal Titan's descent.

"Eren!" yells Mikasa from the top of the wall

Ed quickly transmutes a part of the wall to shield himself from the blast while the rest of the Scouts scatter. Eren looks upwards to see the large skull of the Colossal Titan heading straight for him.

 **BOOOOM!**

There was a an intense explosion of light as the Colossal Titan exploded upon impact with the ground, an intense gust of wind blew back the nearby trees, houses and Scouts around the area, both Hange and Levi were shot upwards into the air; still holding onto Hange Levi fires his cable onto the top of the Wall and lowers them both down. Ed pressed himself into the corner of the shield he formed from the wall as a fierce gust of steam hits the wall. In the commotion Reiner pins Eren to the ground with his face in the dirt and bites into Eren's Titan's nape; ripping Eren from his Titan. As the steam died down Bertholdt emerged from the Colossal Titan carrying both Ymir in one arm and Alphonse in the other, Reiner picks up Bertholdt and takes Alphonse while Bertholdt held onto Ymir. As the Armoured Titan runs off Ed manages to catch sight of Alphonse in his grasp.

"Al!" Yells Edward, he frantically presses on the triggers for his gas; it initially shoots himself forward as he tries to give chase to the Armoured Titan, however the exhaust almost immediately ends its continual flow of gas and only gave out a few weak puff which sends him tumbling onto the ground. Ed looks up from the dirt to see the Armoured Titan running off into the distance with his brother; he balls his hand up into fist and punches the ground.

 _Damn it_ he thinks to himself as he tries to hold back the tears in his eyes

"Ymir!" cried Historia as she caught sight of her friend being held by Bertholdt

"Eren!" Mikasa screams she pulls the trigger but only pathetic wisps of gas escape the exhaust, she quickly turns to her friends "Your gas, give them to me!" She demanded, a look of desperation in her eyes "I'm going after them!"

"Mikasa, you can't" pleaded Sasha

"You go out after them by yourself then you're as good as dead." Added Levi as he walked up to them, Mikasa collapses onto her knees and lowered his head to the ground as she began to sob into her red scarf.

"No...please, don't go..." Mikasa whispered into her scarf.

Both Mina and Sasha stood on the wall in defeated silence as they watched the people who were once their friends not so long ago run off. Mina sat down on the edge of the wall and placed her mouth trying to muffle her own cries.

Hange and Levi both watch from the top of the wall as the Armoured Titan and Bertholdt make their escape, Hange lets out an angered groan while Levi stared at them menacingly. "We've been beaten…" said Hange, a sour tone in her voice

"Oh how could this get any worse?" yells Connie, suddenly the sound of crumbling close by alerts the Scouts on the wall.

"Is the wall about to collapse?" questioned Mina as she got up to her feet

"Well that'll just be perfect wouldn't it?" said Jean furiously, angered by the recent turn of events, they all ran to other side of the wall and looked down to see large yet surprisingly thin chunks of wall crash onto the ground, as they peered over they saw what looked to be a black hole inside the wall.

"Wait hold on…" said Armin as fell from the wall and fired his cables onto its side near the hole. The others quickly followed his example. What they saw caused them to freeze up on the spot.

"Is… is that a…" stuttered Sasha

"It's a Colossal Titan." Muttered Armin, Hange and Levi looked down on them as the secret they knew about had now just been revealed to everyone else.

"Hey!" Yelled a voice from below, Connie looked down, he fell from the wall and onto the ground to meet the stranger; it was a priest. The Priest grabs Connie by his shoulders and grips him tightly

"Hey man, what the hell?" exclaims Connie, startled by the priest's actions

"Where are your superiors?" asks the priest, by the terrified look on his face Connie knew something wasn't right. Suddenly Levi approaches them.

"What seems to be the matter?" Levi asks sarcastically "Oh right, the big ass Colossal Titan in the wall, right?" he says pointing to the Titan with his thumb

The Minister looks at Levi extremely perplexed by his calmness during this situation "Ye... Yes!" replies Minster Nick urgently "You have to find the Elrics boys and get them to cover up the hole; we can't let the sunlight reach it!"

"Is that so…" says Levi nonchalantly, he looks behind himself to see a group of Scouts from team three and four move in next to him, as they form a half circle around the priest, a few of them gave a nod to Levi. There was an unspoken tension in the air which shattered the moment when Levi raised his blade in the direction of the priest "Minister Nick for the good of Humanity we will be held under the jurisdiction of the Scout Regiment and questioned accordingly."


	28. Chapter 28: Secrets

**Chapter 28: Secrets**

Ed placed his hands on the wall; all the while never taking his eyes off the Colossal Titan which lay dormant inside. On top of the wall Hange and Levi both watched as Ed covered up the hole, behind them was Minister Nick, sitting on the ground with his hands bound together by rope. Ed fires his cables onto the ledge of the wall and reels himself upwards to meet Levi and Hange.

"It's done." Says Ed, he then looked off into the distance of Wall Rose's interior; where the Reiner and Bertholdt ran off with Al, Eren and Ymir.

"Guess that confirms that all the walls have Titans in them then" remarked Hange

"Unbound me this instant!" demanded the Minister "You cannot hold me against my will, you have no right!"

"We have every right" replied Levi "Doesn't matter if we get confirmation from Erwin in the next ten minutes or ten days; you shouldn't have been so mouthy and now you get the pleasure of our company" Levi strolls up the minister and looks on him "Though I guess I should thank you; you've save us the trouble of combing through your congregation."

"You knew, about the Titans?" asks the Minister shocked

"For a few days now" Levi replied "so preacher man; why are there Titans in the walls and why all the hush about it?"

Minister Nick growls at Levi "You'll… You'll get nothing out of me!"

Levi turns his head back "Hange" he calls out, Hange lifts her goggles up to her forehead, she walks up to the Minister, grabs him by the collar and drags him over to the edge of the wall. Nick begins to struggle as Hange's intentions became clear to him; Hange lifts Nick onto his feet and dangles him over the edge while keeping his feet onto the wall just barely, Levi walks up next to them and sits over the edge of the wall watching them with a stone faced expression.

"Squad Leader!" exclaims Moblit

"Woah, Hange!" yells Ed, shocked by Hange threatening the man's life, he was about to step in when Levi turned to Ed and raised his hand up slightly to stop him.

"Do you know why we do it?" questioned Hange, from the tone of her voice and the look on her face it was clear was irate "Why we risk our lives to go outside the walls? Why the Regiment willingly spills so much blood? Because one day… one day… there will come a time when we're free of the Titans and if that meant giving our lives then we'd gladly do so." The Scouts and Edward all watched Hange; taking in her heart felt words about the dedication of the Scouts "Even if all we achieve is a step forward then we'll continue to give our lives for Humanity's future!" Hange grip on the Minister tightens "And you and God know how many others have been holding this information from us? For years you could afford to be silent, but not anymore; you're going to talk or you're going to fall."

"You…you wouldn't dare!" responded Minister Nick frightened

"People fall off the wall all the time" replied Levi "And I'm sure everyone here can attest to your sudden accidental demise."

"If- if... if that's how it is…" stuttered the Minister "then so be it! Release me then!" he proclaimed "I will not tell you a single thing and much like you I will gladly give my life!" Hange turned her head to Levi who responded with a shrug. Hange's grip on the Minister instantly loosens and the he fell back off the edge of the wall.

"Squad Leader!" shouts Moblit, looking distressed

"Levi?" asks Hange calmly

"Give it a second" replies Levi, after two seconds Levi pushes himself off the wall, pulling the triggers for his gas, he soars downwards and tackles the Minister in the air and safely lowers both of them onto the ground. Nick collapses onto the floor shaking. Hange, Ed and the rest of the Scouts lower themselves into the ground as well "Get up preacher" said Levi "I want to show you something."

* * *

"Commander, wake up" said Anka before slapping him on the head "If you're going to go to sleep then head back inside; the night air will kill you."

"Ugh… don't nag me" replied Pixis awakening from his drunk slumber "What's the situation?"

"Recon teams were sent to swept along the Walls between districts Trost and Chlorba" Anka informed "Though they have yet to report anymore Titan sightings; its been assumed that the main bulk, if not the entirety, of the Titan force was at the castle battle with the 104th Scout Regiment the night before and were all wiped out, Captain Ian Dietrich and Team Leader Rico Brzenska have arrived back with their company from the east and Captain Weilman and Team Leader Mitabi Jarnach are now moving the rest of the Elite Division westwards to sweep the area."

"That's good to hear" replied Pixis "Barring a surprise Titan horde the interior of Wall Rose should be clear, I can drink to that." said Pixis raising a green bottle in the air in celebration. Anka quickly snatches the bottle from Pixis.

"You shouldn't be drinking this much, commander; you aren't a young man." Said Anka, the sound of cables zipping catches their attention, they turn their heads to see Commander Erwin landing onto the ledge of the wall.

"Commander Pixis" calls Erwin

"Ah, Erwin" greets Pixis as he shook his hand "Congratulations on the new powers from the central government; I know from experience that trying to get those fat bureaucrats to compromise on their authority is like pulling out nails."

"The perks of capturing an infiltrator." replies Erwin "Though this latest Titan incursion had stalled our plans to capture the others."

"I'm sorry to hear that, though is does look like this latest attack has caused our friends in the interior to rethink their policy of isolation" says Pixis

"Indeed, looks like even the Military Police Brigade are making an appearance here." Replies Erwin as they look down off the wall observing the gathering of soldiers near the gate.

"So you're saying you hadn't encountered any Titans on your way to Trost" asked Rico

"Didn't see any Titans on the way here" said one of the Scouts to "weird, when I got word of that huge Titan battle in the west I thought all hell has broken loose, instead it's just quiet."

"104th were the ones who took the brunt of it?" asked Ian

"Yeah, southern division specifically" replied another Scout

"Damn, same ones who were at Trost" replied Ian in a grim tone "Poor kids can't catch a break."

"I thought we came down here for an emergency" laughed one of the MPs to their own group "A Titan attack without a single Titan?"

"We just come here to sit on our asses?" questioned a second "I'm itching to kill some Titans"

"Hah!" replied a third enthusiastically "I want a real challenge; I want to take on that Colossal Titan!" suddenly the sound of frantic running had caught their attention

"Somebody get the Commanders!" yelled the messenger, he was waiting a green cloak with the symbol of the Garrison rose on it; he then collapsed onto his knees in exhaustion. After about thirty seconds everyone huddled around the messenger, Commander Erwin and Pixis stood before him.

"Are you part of the recon teams?" asked Pixis

"No, sir" replied the messenger, still trying to catch his breath "I'm from the Stohess Garrison, it's an emergency; the Colossal and Armoured Titans have attacked the city!" there was a collective gasp among the crowd "The Scouts under the command of Squad Leader Hange Zoe and Captain Levi fought them while the Garrison evacuated the city."

"Was there anything else?" asked Erwin

"No sir, I was ordered to spread the word from Hermina then Trost just when the battle had started; I manage to notify Squad Leader Nanaba before I headed here."

"Good work soldier" replied Pixis placing his hand on the messenger's shoulder "head to the barracks and get some rest."

"Seems like the obvious course of action now is to move our forces to Stohess; let's hope we get there before the battle is over." said Erwin "All soldiers get on a horse; we leaving as soon as possible.

* * *

Back inside Stohess the 104th are huddled at the corner of an empty mess hall; tears were still being shed over the betrayal of their friends, the defeat they suffered at their hands and the kidnapping of Eren, Alphonse and Ymir. They were still dressed in their combat uniform as they sat on a bench table.

"This is… this is just so crazy." Said Connie looking at the floor "I just keep going back over my memories of them trying to find some kind of clue but…" he quickly places his hand over his eyes trying to stop the tears as the fond memories of Reiner and Bertholdt come back to him making their treachery that more depressing.

Sasha sat with her head resting on her folded arms "I still… I just can't believe it."

Jean stood leaning against the wall with his arms folded while looking at the ground; he was still sieving with anger over the betrayal, though a part of him still couldn't bring himself to totally hate them, not matter how much he wanted to.

Armin sat on a bench on the bench with one arm around Mikasa as she held the red scarf close to her; tears staining its colour. "Why Armin?" she asked choking on her own words "Why does he get so far away from us?"

Armin sighed "He just always does; whether if he chose to or not."

"They took her" whispered Historia, fighting back tears "I just want her back."

Mina was staring at the ground, a sad expression on her face, she turned her head to see the distraught faces of her friends and the only person not there with them was Ed. _He must be devastated over Al_ she thought remembering the moment Ed called out for Alphonse when Bertholdt ate them. She looked back on the day they met in Trost; when he saved her life, when he almost started a fight with the Garrison over her, she thought back to when Al promised her dad they'd look out for her and the battle at the castle when he saved her life again. _I thought I could protect Humanity and the people closest to me, but I can't do either._

"Hey" called out someone from the doorway, it was Edward "Armin, Hange wants to see you in her office." Armin stood up and walked over to the exit and left the mess hall

"I'm sorry about Alphonse…" said Armin

"Don't be; we're getting him, Eren and Ymir back" said Ed defiantly, Armin looked at Ed a bit perplexed by grit his voice had; he had thought Ed would have been distraught he walked off down the hallway to Hange wondering if Ed has something planned. "Mikasa" Ed called out "Captain Levi wanted to see you for a second." Mikasa got up and walked over to Ed who then began to walk off "Follow me" she followed him down the hallway and then turning the corner Ed stopped them.

"What is this, Ed?" questioned Mikasa

"Levi not the one who want to see you, I am" replied Edward "I'm going to go after Reiner and Bertholdt; I'm going to get them back." He said, his voice possessing a kind of fortitude. "But I'll need another person with me if I've got a hope of taking them on if Reiner still in his Titan form and having too many people would raise suspicions; so I'm asking you, you in?"

Mikasa looked at Ed wide eyed for a second before narrowing them and gritting her teeth "Count me in." she replied with a similar resolve.

Ed allowed himself a small smile "Alright, seeing as the only people there near the gate are Garrison troops we'll need to swap out our Scout uniform for the Garrison to avoid suspicion." Suggested Ed "Get the rest of your gear and I'll get a hold of some of their jackets, we'll meet back at the stables." Mikasa nodded and the two quickly went off in opposite directions. Unknown to them two people were standing at one of the other hallways and listening in on their conversation.

Ed approached the storage room, he turned the door handle "Locked" he muttered, he pressed his hands together and places them on the wall; creating an entrance for him to pass through. He quickly searched through the different crates "Cannonballs, gas canisters, blades… ah hah." He took out a light brown waist coat with the Garrison rose on it "gotcha" he took off his Scout coat as he placed it on the ground he couldn't help but stare at the symbol

 _Why we risk our lives to go outside the walls? Why the Regiment willingly spills so much blood? Because one day… one day… there will come a time when we're free of the Titans and if that meant giving our lives then we'd gladly do so_

Ed sighed _you're all in this for the greater good... and me? I'm only in this because it helps in getting something I want…_ He folded away the Scout coat, put on the Garrison one and took a spare one for Mikasa. He quickly rushed outside to the Military HQ stables.

* * *

Levi kicks Nick further down the corridor to the underground "Keep moving" the two of them walk further down until they reach an opening into a massive cavern which housed an underground city. Hundreds of torches illuminated the ground to show thousands of people, huddled together in the dirt looking completely miserable; MPs walked around handing out pieces of bread to people and administering beatings to those who tried to take more. They spotted a young man being beaten by two MPs with their rifles all while a young boy tried to stop them.

"Stop please!" cried the man "I just needed for my brother!"

"You'll get what you're given" replied one of the MPs who then kicked him in the ribs "this is the punishment for stealing"

"Leave him alone!" cried the little boy

"Get out of here kid" ordered the other as he pushed him away, the child falling into the muck. The Minister watched with a shocked expression on his face; he took a step forward towards them in the hope of intervening but was pulled back by Levi

"Take it in preacher." Said Levi "This is what happens when the Titans get inside the wall; thousands of people forced to pack up their lives and move into this shithole." Nick looked down onto the ground, guilt building up inside him "Keep looking those are the faces of the people who might of lost everything but if the church had its way then staying here would be the least of their problems; they'd devoured and forced into the unimaginable hell of the Titan's stomach, I've heard survivors accounts of what's it's like to be eaten and it's enough to give you nightmares, and all of humanity digested as one." Levi let his words stew on the Minister for a while before continuing "But it doesn't have to be this way; if we got the information we needed to beat them then Humanity might still have a chance and scenes like this" he said pointing to the injured young man on the floor being hugged by his crying brother "or worse wouldn't have to happen."

* * *

"Ready to go?" asked Mikasa as she untied the reins of her horse from one of the posts

"Hold on" said Ed, clapped his hands and placed them on a bowl holding some kind of black liquid, he dipped his ponytail in it, Mikasa watched as the black liquid travelled his long strains and turned his hair from its golden blond to a coal black. "Figured someone like me would stick out like a sore thumb." He tossed the bowl aside and walked their horses out of the stable and onto the street "Here's the cover; we're messengers being sent to the other districts, if anyone stops us let me do all the talking." Mikasa nodded her head. All around there were Garrison soldiers along with different workers clearing up the rubble from the battle; entire homes were destroyed and streets practically demolished _it's a good thing everyone was evacuated before hand, couldn't imagine how many people could have been caught in the crossfire_

They were now at the entrance into Wall Rose's interior; most of the rubble had been cleared and the workers had moved on to other streets; it looked like they were in the clear themselves when suddenly someone stopped them "Hey stop right there!" yelled a person off to their side. They both looked over to see a fairly tall guy with short black hair done in a bowl cut, there was an almost serious look about the guy and he had the unicorn symbol of the Military Police on his uniform

"We've got important business to attend to" said Ed "We got asked to send a message to the other districts in Wall Rose."

"Liar" said the guy, suddenly a bunch of other MPs rushed over and surrounds the two; they all had muskets pointed on them "We know you're with the Scouts and that you're defying the orders of your superiors!"

Mikasa glared at him, she took out her one of her handles and attached her blade to it, the MPs flinched at the sight, Ed examined them _these guys look young; they must be new cadets._

"Look, this doesn't concern you" said Ed trying to reason with them "So why don't you just leave and we can forget this whole thing"

"I'm with him Marlowe" said one of the other MPs; she was slightly shorter than Ed and Mikasa, large amber eyes and wavy light brown hair. "This really isn't our problem."

"Damn it, Hitch!" replied Marlowe "It's about the principle; we can't let the command structure fall apart in any of the Military branches or else Humanity falls with it."

"Get out of our way" growled Mikasa taking out her blade

"Stand down all of you!" said a person from behind, they all turned back to see Captain Levi with Minister Nick, he walked up to Ed and Mikasa "Hey Ed, when and why did your hair change colour?"

Ed sighed "I thought it would better disguise me" he admitted

"You do realise you're travelling with the only Asian person left in the entire human race, right?" questioned Levi looking unimpressed "you stick out regardless."

"Captain Levi!" said Marlowe saluting him, the rest of the MPs followed suit

"At ease, tell me soldier what's your name?" asked Levi

"Private Marlowe Freudenberg, sir" he replied

"Thank you, showed some real initiative doing this" complemented Levi

"Thank you sir" said Marlowe, his face beaming

"Kissass much, Marlowe? …" muttered Hitch, teasing him.

"You two follow me" Levi said to Edward and Mikasa, they both walked over to Captain Levi, leaving their horses to the MPs

"So… you're not going to punish us?" asked Ed

"Oh no, I'm still going to beat your asses for stolen equipment and possible desertion at some point" replied Levi "right now we've got bigger things to worry about."

"Come in" said Hange standing behind a desk, to left end was Nanaba and to the right was Armin; the three of them were looking over a map of the area around Wall Rose trying to figure out where Reiner and Bertholdt would hid. The members of the 104th came into the office they all still looked miserable but formed up into a line before them.

Nanaba saluted them "Hello again, never thought we'd meet so soon again and like this"

"How are the other guys?" asked Mina

"They're getting treatment" replied Nanaba; she then looked away from their gaze "though some of them passed away on the way to Hermina." They all looked to the ground solemnly.

"There's some chairs around so take a seat if you want" said Hange "I know you must have plenty of questions to ask"

"Why aren't you going after them?" questioned Historia, walking up to her "Why aren't we going after them?"

"Believe me we are" replied Hange "I've already sent out what's left of our squad to scout out their position, the others are too injured to move forward and the reason I didn't want you to go out after them is because you're clearly in no emotional state to take them on again; I wanted to give you time to recover first, right now we're trying to figure out what their most likely possible location should be; with Reiner mostly likely being too worn out to make it into Wall Maria's interior."

"Also a messenger came our way and alerted me of the battle" added Nanaba "What was left of the squad and I came here as soon as possible, it's likely that the messenger is also heading to alert Commander Erwin who'll no doubt send reinforcements our way."

"Did you know?" asked Jean "that they were the shifters?"

"Yes, Jean" this time it was Armin who answered "The Scout leaders, Ed and Al, Mikasa and I; we knew."

"You knew Armin?" asked Connie, surprised

"You kept this from us?" asked Sasha

"We just had to keep as tight of a circle as possible and we didn't want it slipping out." Replied Armin "The whole training routine was meant to be a set up to capture them."

"Underground evacuation in Stohess…" said Jean, piecing it together.

"How'd you find out?" asked Connie

"During the 57th recon mission we were able to capture the Female Titan." said Hange to a choir of gasps and shocked faces "What little information about her connected them to her."

"Wait… who's the Female Titan?" asked Mina

Hange looked to Armin "should I?" she asked, feeling that she should be the one to break them the bad news on top of everything else

Armin sighed "No, I should be the one to do it…" they all waited in anticipation of the answer "Annie… Annie's the Female Titan." None of them made a sound but the looks on their faces showed they were aghast at the revelation

"Annie too…" muttered Sasha

"This is… this all just too heavy…" said Connie.

"No." said Mina "I...I don't believe it! Annie wouldn't betray us, she's our friend" she refused to believe that the person she'd known for three years and her best friend was the enemy.

"I'm sorry Mina, really I am, but I saw her in the cell and she never denied It." replied Armin "Also during the expedition Jean, Reiner and I had an encounter with her; I saw her respond to Eren's nickname something only people in our class would know." Armin paused for a second to allow everyone time to dwell on the information "But on the day we were inspected by the Military Police I saw her turning in Marco's ODM gear as her own to pass, it's all too likely that she's the one who killed the Titan test subjects."

Jean's eyes widen at Armin's last statement _she had Marco's gear, she was with him when he died…_ he _didn't have it on him when he died… she… took it from him and left him for dead…_ Jean felt an almost overwhelming feeling of grief and anger pour over him on top of almost everything he felt about Reiner and Bertholdt.

"No… It just can't be-" continued Mina, it felt as if the ground beneath her was collapsing; she couldn't face the truth and desperately tried to convince her otherwise, however Jean cut her off

"If you even think about continuing to defend her!" threaten Jean "I swear I'll-" the sound of the door opening caught their attention, they all turned to see; Captain Levi along with Ed, Mikasa and Minister Nick.

"Seems like you guys were in the midst of a heated discussion, if you were any louder you'd be heard from Utopia district." commented Levi "Also yes, Leonhart is the Female Titan; I pulled her out of that Titan body myself, these two were there." He said pointing at Ed and Mikasa

"Wait who's the other guy?" asked Connie, confused by the appearance of this strange guy with black hair and golden eyes wearing the Garrison jacket

"It's me, Connie" replied Ed

"Woah, Ed?" replied Connie a bit shocked "I didn't recognize you, what's with the get up?"

"I'll explain later" replied Ed "But yeah… Annie Leonhart is the Female Titan, look even Eren had a hard time believing it when we told him but I think on some level he did know; back when Eren and I were in the forest fighting her she did this fighting stance and suddenly Eren's Titan just froze up. It might be her signature move or something and it looked sort of like this." Ed then bent his knees, left leg forward and right leg back with his fist near his face. They all stared at Ed stunned; he wasn't with them during the Cadet Corps and he'd only met Annie back in Trost yet he'd mimicked Annie's fighting stance almost perfectly "He must of recognized it and froze up." Ed finished, moving out of Annie's fight stance. Mina collapsed onto the ground the truth she tried to look away from came down on her. Sasha and Historia rushed over to pick her up

"Hey, are you ok?" asked Sasha concerned as they got her back up to her feet

"I…" she said "I… just need a moment" Mina leaned back against the wall; a hundred thoughts ran through her head as an internal war was being fought over whether she should hate Annie or still try hold onto the person she thought she knew. Levi places his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry you guys had to find out this way, go sit down for a bit" he suggests, Levi then turns his attention to the Minister "Nick has something he's wants to share with us."

"So have you had a change in heart?" questioned Hange, impatiently.

"Through the many years we had resided in these walls we had created a firm covenant; I cannot tell you the secret or the walls and neither will my brothers, but we have entrusted that secret to a single family and I can tell you who."

"You'd try to get rid of the responsibility from yourself and pass it onto other?" questioned Hange

"Yes… there is a child who was caught up in a conflict involving the bloodline three years ago, she may know the answers." There was a tense silence "she goes under a false name, Krista Lenz." Without a second passing everyone's turns their attention to Historia, she looked at the Minister completely dumbfounded by what he was saying. Minister Nick's eyes widen; he didn't notice Historia when he entered the room.

"Recruit?" said Levi "Is there anything you'd like to tell us."

"I…I…I don't know what you mean" stuttered Historia

"Well then it looks like one of you isn't being honest with us." Levi replied before turning back to the Minister

Nick panicked "But you must know" said Nick "Your father must of told you"

"Ok, first start by telling us everything you know, Historia" asked Nanaba

"My dad is Rod Reiss; he was the lord of the land I lived in and I'd only met him once five years ago" Historia confessed "For some reason they wanted me dead but he convinced them to spare me if I went away, but that's it I swear." They turned back to the Minister who looked completely dumbfounded; Jean grabs Nick by his collar and quickly slams him up against the wall despite the height difference between the two.

"Listen you son of a bitch" threaten Jean, still angry about the recent revelation of Annie being involved in Marco's death "I've had a rough two nights so don't fuck with me!" Levi hand grips Jean's shoulder

"That's enough" he orders "You won't get through to him like that, believe me we've tried." Jean lets go Nick who then slumps to the ground. Historia walks up to Nick and kneels down in front of him.

"Please, I don't know anything" said Historia, Nick shifts his head upwards; the two of them are now looking at each other face to face. "All my life I've been treated like an outsider, like someone who no one, not even my own mother, wanted" tears began to well up in her eyes "And now I'm losing the people I care about and I don't know why… why me?" Nick eyes shifted to the floor; he was unable to look her in the eyes knowing the pain they've caused her

"Child, I am so sorry…" he whispered, he then brought Historia closer, as if to whisper something in her ear, the 104th flinched when he touched her but held back _I've lived a wretched life and played my part in this terrible grand scheme of things but for once...I'm going to do something right_ "The family you belong to is a special one."

"They're the true royal bloodline."


	29. Chapter 29: Secrets II

**Chapter 29: Secrets II**

Eren slowly opened his eyes, a cloud of smoke engulfed his body; his vision was blurry at first but very quickly it began to clear up. He found him up against a wall inside the living room of a house; he turned his head to the right to see Ymir, her hands tied behind her back and her ankles tied together, he turned his head to the left to see Alphonse who was he was still wearing his brown jacket although they had taken his green cloak, his legs tied together and his hands tied behind his back with two small straw sacks covering his hands.

"Eren" came a voice in front of him; Eren looked upwards to see Reiner looming over him with Bertholdt behind him "So you're awake." instantly Eren realized they had taken his and Alphonse's ODM gear.

Eren tried to moved only to find his bloody feeling constricted; he looked down to see his cloak wrapping his body and his feet bound together with rope, he began to struggle and unwrap the cloak only to revel his arms had been reduced to stumps with everything above his elbow having to be regrown. "Ah!" he yelled "My arms, what the?"

"Damn, sucks to be you Eren." commented Ymir.

"What the hell happened to my arms?" growled Eren

"My fault" replied Reiner "I was in a hurry; didn't make a clean bite in the chaos."

"So… we lost then." Eren stated in a dead pan voice, he glared at both Reiner and Bertholdt. He quickly raised his stump to his mouth and bit down.

"Eren don't!" yelled Alphonse in an panicked tone

"Hey do it if you want to" said Ymir "We're still in Wall Rose so you're basically home free, but keep in mind if you transform you'll send the whole house crashing down on the family upstairs." Eren looked at Reiner and Bertholdt; there was an uneasy look about Bertholdt while Reiner looked almost calm.

"There a family of five up there and unless you want their blood on your hands, you'll stay put" said Reiner, his arms folded "And Alphonse can't help you either; his ability depends on his hands coming into contact with each other and we've made sure to counter that." Alphonse glared at the two and tried to put on a frustrated face; it was the only thing he could do to hold in his smirk at their ignorance of how his alchemic ability worked _Good thing brother stopped wearing gloves_ he thought. Al knew that at some point he'd have to act and apprehend them but he had to pick his moment carefully and for now he was going to sit and observe them; hopefully get some answer from them about the Titans. Eren looked back at the straw bags over Al's hands. "And besides your Titan power is not without restrictions; your body is too busy repairing itself at the moment and you can't transform until it's finished."

"Why the hell should I believe you? You fucking traitor" questioned Eren in a harsh tone "Everyone in Wall Rose has been evacuated by now."

Reiner looked to Bertholdt and nodded at him, Bertholdt had a sad look on his face; he got up and walked up the stairs to the second floor, they listened carefully to his heavy footsteps; there was a few seconds of silence followed by the sound of a blade being drawn from the scarab. Suddenly a loud bang rang through the house as he kicked down one of the doors; it was immediately followed by the ear-piercing shrieks of young children and cries of one of the parents.

"Hey you leave them alone!" yelled Eren; there was the sound of the door closing, muffling the cries, and footsteps going back to the stairs. As Bertholdt, walked down the stairs, his blades placed back in his scarab, he caught a glimpse at the angered expressions of Eren and Alphonse.

"That wasn't necessary" said Alphonse in an angered tone

"Just making Eren clear of the situation at hand." Stated Reiner "Scream and shout as much as you want but were in rural Wall Rose; the nearest village is probably than a few miles away and whatever houses are around are abandoned, evacuated most likely, these guys mustn't of got the message."

"Hey Reiner, you said we'd talk when Eren woke up, so tell us; what exactly the plan here?" there was a long pause after Ymir's question

"You three are coming with us back to our hometown." replied Reiner "I'd ask you to not to be a pain in the ass but let's face it; you're coming up with a hundred ways of escaping right now."

"Why exactly are you kidnapping us?" asked Alphonse

"It should be obvious, Alphonse." Replied Reiner "Eren and Ymir are both Titan shifters and your 'Alchemy' will be valuable to us back home."

"Not exactly an answer to my question" replied Alphonse

"Well it's all you're getting" replied Reiner "Anyways, the sun's coming up and I don't want to be out in the open in broad daylight when the Scouts are likely hunting for us and I'd like to cover as much ground as possible when we're in Wall Maria so we're leaving at nightfall."

 _That's right_ thought Eren _hopefully they survived that blast, we just got to hope now they find us while we're still in Wall Rose; otherwise they're done for if those two drag us into Maria…_

"Scouts aren't exactly a threat to your Titan" remarked Ymir "Why couldn't you of just headed back to your hometown, what did you have to take a break or something?"

"You figure it out" replied Reiner dismissively

"Ok then, what happens when you're in Wall Maria then?" questioned Ymir "The Titans in the castle didn't care that it was night."

"Those were different Titans; the ones in Maria won't try to go after us at night." Responded Reiner "But I don't have to tell you about that, Ymir"

 _Ymir's got something to hide_ thought Alphonse _Nanaba was right; why didn't she come out into the open about it? She said she'd tell us everything after the battle; if I can't get either Reiner or Bertholdt to say anything then I at least have to make sure she doesn't fall into their hands._

A hundred thoughts ran through Eren's mind _How much does Ymir know, Is she on our side, what's her endgame here?_ He looked back at Reiner and Bertholdt _my best option now is to try and gather as much information from them as possible_ he then looked back at Alphonse _if we could get those binds off then he could destroy Reiner's armour like Ed; we'll have a better chance at beating them if the Scouts don't find us_ he gritted his teeth and continued to give angry glares at them _until then… I've to keep my emotions in check…_

Sunlight began to seep through the wooden blinds on the windows, Reiner sat on a wooden chair watching the three who were sat up against the wall and Bertholdt leaned up against the front of the house; peering though the wooden blinds every so often, his face masked by the bright light outside.

"Hey Reiner" called Ymir "Does this place have any water, c'mon I'm drying up here"

"We shouldn't take anything from these people" said Alphonse, with a serious look on his face "We've already caused them enough grief."

"Hey you can be as virtuous as you want but some of us would rather not be thirsty." replied Ymir, in a matter of fact tone.

"Nah he's right" replied Reiner "these last couple hours have been rough but we shouldn't forget our duty to the people" almost immediately everyone turned their attention to Reiner; Bertholdt had anxious look on his face, both Alphonse and Eren looked at him completely puzzled and Ymir looked at him slightly confused. "But I guess even that's an understatement; it's been what, two days since the breach? We've only been able to eat some bits here and there and maybe catch a few hours sleep if we were lucky. Could you imagine what the situation could have been had the Walls been actually breached? Still this whole thing was hell to go through what with Titan battle at the castle; I think after that the very least we deserve is a promotion" he said Reiner, almost laughing

"What the hell?" muttered Bertholdt, Eren began looking at the ground still wide eyed; he could feel the pent up rage inside him start to boil.

"I mean look I get it" continued Reiner "Were soldiers it's what we signed up for; hell even Erwin was up front about it at graduation but I'm just saying it'd be nice to get some kind of acknowledgement for the service."

"Did you hit your head or something?" questioned Ymir sarcastically with a puzzled smile on her face, though in her mind she was piecing it together.

"What? I'm not saying we barge into Erwin or Darius' office and demand to be made Captains or Squad Leaders, hell I'd even settle for a medal." replied Reiner with an innocent boyish smile on his face. "And by the way, Alphonse I got to say I'm impressed; with skill like yours I'd never would of guess you'd learnt how to use ODM gear in the matter of a few months, you and Ed have really left an impression on us since Trost though you more so on a certain person." He joked; Eren could hardly contain his anger.

 _This traitorous bastard…thinks he can laugh and joke like nothing's happened!_

"Speaking of which, did you see the way Krista looked at me when I gave her back her gear?" asked Reiner "She's probably got a think for m-"

"Hey!" yelled Eren, enraged; stopping Reiner "You're fucking with us, aren't you?"

Reiner looks at Eren completely confused "Woah, Eren what's wrong?" asks Reiner, surprised by his sudden enraged outburst "Did I say something that upset you?"

"If you keep talking I swear I'll fucking kill you!" threaten Eren, yelling at the top of his lungs

"Hold up there, Eren" injected Ymir "Looks like someone might have a few nails loose" she then turned her attention to Bertholdt, who had been sitting quietly with a miserable look on his face "correct me if I'm wrong, Bertholdt but by the looks of it you seem to know something we don't."

Reiner turned to Bertholdt, there was a look of childlike innocence on his face "Reiner, snap out of it" said Bertholdt in hushed tone though it was quite clear Bertholdt was frustrated "We're not soldiers, we're Warriors." Reiner turned his head off to the side, his eyes widen and his breathing began slightly erratic, he stood up from his seat and looked at the three tied sitting up against the wall before he quickly composed himself; he had a disappointed look on his face.

"Yeah…of course" was all he said before sitting back into the chair with his hands covering his face. The three stared at him.

"What the hell?" said Eren, his anger shimmering down.

"I think I know what's going on here" said Ymir catching Eren and Alphonse's attention "At first I thought it was strange; when you compare the guy who broke the wall to the guy who puts his comrades first, the very people whose lives he's responsible for putting on the line, their almost polar opposites; everything you did seemed to contradiction." Alphonse turned back to Reiner to see him still trying to pull himself together "You thought of yourself as the Warrior who had to push mankind off the edge but at the same time you got lost in the act of being a soldier, why? Did you get too into your role or… was the weight of everything you've done just too much to handle that you had to slip into your very own fantasy? And I'm guessing by the look on Bertholdt's face this isn't the first time, is it?" Bertholdt didn't react to Ymir's comment, instead he sat there trying not to make eye contact with anyone in the room "Now that's irony; to think someone as straight forward as you wou-"

"Shut up!" yelled Reiner, glaring at Ymir "Not another word."

Ymir flinched slightly before quickly composing herself "Alright then"

"This hurts you, it's clear you can't live with yourselves knowing what you've done" said Alphonse "but why do you still do it? What could be worth all this? What exactly will you achieve pushing humanity off the edge?" Neither Reiner nor Bertholdt answered his questioned; they both looked at him for a few second and turned away "If you're not going to answer me than it obvious that you can't justify what you've done, your reasons for killing so many people might as well be completely arbitrary or selfish, but it doesn't matter because you won't win, we'll put an end to this!" Ymir rolled her eyes at Alphonse's declaration.

Reiner stood up from his chair and approached Alphonse; he loomed over him with his arms folded and a serious expression on his face "Selfish? You couldn't even begin to understand the sacrifice we've made, the sacrifices we will make and the ones we're prepared to make" stated Reiner "Unlike you I'm willing to spill blood and if need be die for something I believe is the greater good, what are you giving up? Your time? Perhaps you've forgotten that the reason, the only reason, you and your brother are in the Scouts, the only reason you're even here in the first place is because it helps you get something you want, you're not in this to save humanity!" Alphonse glared at Reiner, a part of him wanted to transmute something to cut off his bindings and tackle Reiner, but as always Alphonse kept his temper in check.

Ymir rose her eyebrow at Reiner "I think you might be projecting a bit, Reiner." She commented

"Shut it, Ymir" responded Reiner with a look of disgust.

"Go to hell" growled Eren "Even now you spew out that self-righteous bullshit even after everything you've done, why the hell did you even listen to me on that day? I'm talking to you Bertholdt, you fucking bootlicker; I told you everything, I told you about the day my mother got eaten by a Titan because a shard of the gate you kicked down landed right on my house and stopped her from running away." Bertholdt turned to look at Eren, a blank expression on his face "How about you tell me… what were you thinking that day I told you." Bertholdt turned away from Eren

"If I'm honest" said Bertholdt hesitantly "I just felt sorry for you." There was a jarring silence in the room as Eren stared wide eyed at them

"You just felt sorry for me?" replied Eren, in a loud whisper "You two… you're nothing but a bunch of murders; mass murders who ended the lives of innocent people!"

"Oh would you shut up!" yelled Reiner, still standing over them "I don't need you stating the fucking obvious!"

"Then don't you fucking dare act like what you did hurt you more than the people's lives that you've ruined! You're done nothing but turn this world into a living hell! Are you proud of yourselves, you fucking monsters? You're not a human, you're worse than scum!" yelled Eren, before Reiner could respond the muffled sound of a child from upstairs could be heard cut him off, he backed down and moved a few steps from them, he calmly folded his arms while continuing to look at them with a stern expression

"If that's how you feel, then fine." Said Reiner "But it doesn't matter anyways, there's nothing that can be done to change the situation for this world."

"No…" responded Eren, in a venomous tone "there's one thing I can do… and that's making sure that the two of you die in the most painful way possible." Reiner continued to stare at Eren with a stern expression, like an adult looking down on a child that threaten them, Alphonse looked at Eren troubled by his declaration to brutally end their lives and Ymir looked at Eren completely unimpressed by his threat.

"Are you two even listening to yourselves?" said Ymir "All that childish bullshit about vows of stopping them and killing them, you can't expecting me to go along with you two knuckleheads."

"What's that suppose to mean?" questioned Eren

"I'm saying I'm not going to jump on the same boat with someone who's way in over his head and the other being concerned with petty bullshit." She replied, turning to Reiner "Hey Reiner, what's with the giant ape?" Reiner's eyes widen slightly

"Ape?" he asked "Don't know what you mean"

"Oh, I thought he must have been with you guys" said Ymir

"Giant ape?" asked Eren "what's an ape?"

"That Beast looking Titan" said Alphonse "He had the same ability as Annie, he's the one that launched the attack on the castle using his scream."

"What?" exclaimed Eren; he looked over to Reiner and Bertholdt

"If I had to bet I'd say he's the one behind the latest Titan attack in Wall Rose" added Ymir "possibly trying to test our strength."

"Wait, he the one who turned Connie's village into Titans!" exclaimed Eren, Ymir, Reiner and Bertholdt all focused their attention on him, perplexed that he knew about that.

"So you know about that?" asked Ymir, she turned away from Eren "well got to hand it to Armin, the guy may be as weak as a twig but he's sharp, though but it doesn't take a genius to realize these guys are trying to link up with the Beast Titan; their way back home"

"You knew all this time?" questioned Eren "What else have you been keeping from us?"

"It's not exactly easy to explain." Replied Ymir "the whole thing is complicated"

"Simplify it then!" demanded Eren

Ymir sighed and shot Eren an annoyed look "If you two think that stopping these guys will bring an end to all this then you're in for a rude awakening" replied Ymir, annoyed by Eren

"You're right, Ymir" said Alphonse calmly, catching her off guard "maybe I'm in over my head, maybe I'm setting myself up for something impossible but I been through that already; back on my world Ed and I had to face people who stood in our way and monsters, one of whom wanted to be God, hell bent on killing innocent people. It wasn't easy fighting them and we suffered our share of defeats but in the end we won." Ymir's eyes soften slightly as she listen to Alphonse speech "But before we beat them we had to learn about them; If you say the situation is complex then I believe you but if you can give us anything to work with then we can work this out."

Ymir sighed "Look Alphonse, I believe you when you say that you and Ed had beaten all those things, but you don't know about the enemy we face here"

 _A powerful force they do not yet fully understand…._

"Who is the enemy?" asked Alphonse, thinking back to the Truth's words

"If I had to say then it'd be-" Reiner quickly interrupts Ymir

"Do you think these people have a future?" he asks "You're someone who sees the bigger picture of things and the smart thing to do would be to join us."

"You want me to trust you" she laughed "You really must have lost your mind and what makes you think you can trust me?"

"I can trust you" replied Reiner, confidence in his voice "Our goals aren't that different; your goal is to protect Historia, isn't it?" Ymir's eyes widen at the mere mention of her name "Is it so hard to believe that we want the same thing; to protect her or would you rather put her life in the hands of Eren and a bunch of outsiders?" Ymir's eyes narrowed slightly and contemplated her next move, looking back at Eren and then Alphonse "You might have been thinking of a way to free the move of them and use them to escape because you know if you come with us you'd have no chance of survival; I can't guarantee your safety but Historia… we can realistically work towards that for her." Ymir lowered her head to the floor, she contemplated Reiner's offer.

"Hey, answer the question" demanded Eren "Who's the real enemy?"

 _Who do you think the real enemy is?_

 _The real enemy isn't the Titans outside these walls, is it?_

Alphonse thought back to the conversation they had with Erwin a while ago; at the time they'd had thought there were only Titans and the shifters who must have been leading them, but maybe there was more to it.

 _Have I been thinking about this too narrowly_ thought Alphonse; he looked back to Reiner and Bertholdt _could there be another civilization outside?_

"Who knows?" replied Ymir

"It's the civilization you work for" said Alphonse, catching everyone off guard "That's right, isn't it?"

"And how exactly did you come to that conclusion?" questioned Reiner

"Warrior… that's a rank, meaning you two are part of some kind of organised force." replied Alphonse "Is there some kind of place like the walls that's filled with Titan shifters or is Humanity not really on the brink of extinction?" Ymir, Eren and Bertholdt's eyes widen at the question; for Eren it was a bold challenge in the face of everything he'd known for his entire life but for the others it was someone almost grasping at the truth.

Ymir stared at Alphonse, surprised _holy shit… did he just figure it out?_

Bertholdt tried his best to remain calm as to not give anything away, but inside he was panicking, Reiner remained calm and tried to figure out a way to throw Alphonse off. "Seems like a huge jump to make, doesn't it?"

"Then who do you work for?" questioned Alphonse "The Beast Titan, is he your commander, do we have to beat him in order to win?" Ymir's eyes narrowed slightly; disappointed him for his line of questioning.

"I don't know why you're asking all these questions, you're coming with us anyways so you'll find out soon enough when we get to our hometown." replied Reiner, shutting down the conversation. He then turned to Ymir "Are you still with us?" he asked

"Yeah…" she said, Reiner then removed the bindings around her feet and hands, he took her hand and lifted her from the ground "You've made the right choice."

"Traitor!" yelled Eren, angered by Ymir acceptance of their offer "You think this is what Historia would want?"

"Don't you dare talk like you know what's best for her!" yelled Ymir "You don't even give a shit about anyone or anything except your bullshit goal to kill the Titans!" Eren growled at her while Alphonse just looked to the ground; acting sad and anger and hoping they wouldn't notice the small sharp blade he transmuted on the wall and he was using to cut off his binds.

A few hours had past; Ymir sat on a wooden chair at a table in the kitchen of the house drinking a cup of water from the houses stores, she wanted to be away from everyone and contemplate whether she had made the right choice. In the hallway upstairs, Reiner and Bertholdt talked to each other in hushed tones

"Are you sure we can trust Ymir?" asked Bertholdt "Her Titan might be small but its fast; she could get away from us easily and… she is the one who ate Marcel."

"It's likely that after she became a human again she cared only about her own survival, until she met Historia; a person she'd do anything for." There was a brief pause "We need Historia; she could have valuable information on the real royal family in the Walls meaning if Eren isn't the coordinate than we'll still have to keep looking and on top of that we either have to capture or kill Edward."

"Why are we going after them?" asked Bertholdt "Our mission was to capture the Coordinate and these guys are only here to plug up Wall Maria; So long as we get the Coordinate we have nothing to worry about." Bertholdt knew that was a lie; but all he wanted was to get their mission over and done with, going after them all complicated the matter further.

"You know why it's important to get them" replied Reiner "Unlike our Titan powers their abilities can be taught and spread, if those devils have a monopoly on that kind of power then the world will continue to be under threat from them also I doubt Ed will leave his brother behind, he did try to tail us back at Stohess."

Eren and Alphonse were still sat in the same spot; with the exception of his fingers and thumb Eren's hands were almost fully formed and were now tied up behind his back with a piece of cloth in his mouth to prevent him from biting on his tongue, he sat staring at the floor.

"Hey Eren" whispered Alphonse, Eren turned his head; Alphonse leaned forward slightly to revel his now freed hands. Eren tried to say something but all that came out was a muffled sound "Keep it down; we don't want alert them; when the time is right I'll take them down, don't worry I've handled fights against people faster and stronger than them, we just have to wait for the right moment, ok?" Eren nodded his head.

"Okay" said Bertholdt, looking off to the side "The next time we come here we'll get Historia, Annie, the Founder and Ed and then we won't have to come back here." Reiner placed his hand on Bertholdt's shoulder

"We'll find her, we're not leaving anyone behind" promised Reiner, they both walked down stairs, catching the angry glances of Eren and Alphonse. Not a single word was exchanged but the feelings of each other were more than clear. Reiner headed into the kitchen to meet with Ymir

"You go on, Reiner" said Bertholdt as he looked down on the two "I'll catch up" Bertholdt knelt down in front of Alphonse "Can you please tell me where you're keeping Annie?" he asked "I…I don't want to have to hurt you."

"I'm sorry but I won't tell you." Replied Alphonse he reminded of the time when Greed had him tied up back in Dublith and questioned him on his armour body; except Greed was confident and smug while Bertholdt looked sad and a little desperate "Unless you tell me about your hometown" he said, if Bertholdt was going to tell him Al would have to lie to him.

"You know I can't do that." said Bertholdt, a bit more aggressively "Please, she's our friend and we're worried about her."

"That maybe so, but I'm not just going to give you information just because you asked" responded Alphonse "You want something, then you'll have to give something up."

"Fine, I didn't want to do this" Bertholdt got up from the floor and moved to kick Alphonse, Eren's eyes widen and he tried to move, Alphonse watched Bertholdt's leg coming towards him, he quickly moved his hands from his back and grabbed Bertholdt's leg, Alphonse then pulled him forward, sweeping Bertholdt off his feet, Bertholdt slammed onto the ground

"Gah!" he exclaimed, Alphonse quickly clapped his hands and placed them on the binds around his ankles; deconstructing them. Bertholdt began to panic; he quickly got up to his feet and swung his right fist at Alphonse, Al ducks down dodging the attack, he throws his own punch and strikes Bertholdt's left cheek then immediately kneeing him in the gut, Bertholdt stumbles back and throws a left hook but Alphonse blocks the attack; Bertholdt was a trained soldier since childhood, a warrior and third place in the top ten of his class, Bertholdt strikes with his right and lands a punch into Alphonse side and kicks Alphonse back, Alphonse fell back onto the ground. He thought it would be enough to but subdue him but Alphonse quickly gets back onto his feet; Bertholdt was a trained soldier and fighter but Alphonse has been fighting against far tougher opponents for years and went through hell being taught by Izumi Curtis. Bertholdt leans forward to grapple him but Alphonse ducks under and delivers a swift kick to Bertholdt's stomach before sweeping under Bertholdt's legs; Bertholdt falls to the ground clutching his stomach. Alphonse turns back to Eren, he rushes over and goes to remove Eren's binds.

Eren began his muffled yelling yet again; trying to alert Al of Reiner who had rushed into the room. Reiner took out one of the handles to his gear and attached his blade, he had no intention of killing Alphonse but his hope was that it would intimidate him into standing down. He swung his blade from above, Alphonse grabs Reiner's wrist and kicks him in the stomach, with his free hand he grabs the wiring attached to the handle, deconstructs it from the rest of the gear and rips the handles out of Reiner's grasp, he then back kicks Reiner into a wall. Alphonse rushes over to Reiner, places his boot on his chest to pin him in place and he points the blade at Reiner's head.

 _DO IT!_ Yelled Eren, but all that came out was muffled noise.

Ymir was watching from the doorway; she had watched as both Reiner and Bertholdt were beaten back by Alphonse, she began to reevaluate her options but her changing sides hinged on one thing _Is he going to do it?_

Alphonse looked down at Reiner, his hand started to shake slightly as he fought an internal battle within himself on whether to plunge the sword into Reiner or just try and apprehend him. "Just…Just stand down!" yelled Alphonse.

Ymir eyes narrowed _If he doesn't have the guts to kill these guys then what's his plan going to be up against the world?_ She picked up a wooden chair and slammed it into Alphonse's back while he and Eren were both focused on Reiner. The chair shattered into pieces, Alphonse fell forward into the wall and dropped the sword from his hand. Reiner struggled free from Alphonse foot, he then placed Alphonse in a headlock and pinned him to the ground, making sure keep one of his arms under trapped. Eren desperately tried to struggle free from his binds but to no avail.

"Hey!" came a voice from outside, everyone froze and turned their attention towards the door "It sounds like there's someone inside!" the sound of running could be heard around the entrance of the house

"Help!" yelled one of the people upstairs "Help, we're being held hostage!" suddenly the wooden blinds at the front of the house were shattered in by one of the people outside; sunlight flooded the dark room to reveal a soldier, with the Scout insignia on his left pocket, standing outside.

"Holy shit!" he yelled as he looked into the house to see the shifters and Alphonse Elric, he raised his pistol in the air and fired out a red flare "I've caught them!"

"Damn it!" yelled Reiner "Bertholdt, Ymir, on me now!" Ymir grabs Eren and drags him with her, Reiner then bites down on his hand.

There was a bright flash of light and the whole house suddenly collapsed in on itself, Alphonse looked upwards to see the Armoured Titan standing over him and the others, it quickly grabbed him from the ground, as he was picked up he caught sight of a small arm sticking out of a pile of broken wooden boards. Bertholdt fired his cables onto Reiner's back and lifted himself up onto Reiner's shoulder while Ymir and Eren were picked up with Reiner's other hand. Reiner then threw Alphonse into his mouth and slammed his jaws shut. All around them the sky was decorated with bright red smoke columns; Reiner then began to sprint towards Wall Maria in an effort to escape.

 _Six hours before_

"Talk recruit." Ordered Levi as he stared Historia down; true to his word Minister Nick refused to tell them the secret he had told her not too long ago. Levi, Hange and Nanaba were now interrogating the information from her, they had dismissed the rest of the 104th and the Minister from the office leaving Historia alone sitting at the desk as the three of them loomed over her.

"I promise that I will tell you the secret he whispered to me" said Historia "But first you have to promise me that you'll guarantee Ymir's safety once we get her back, that she'd be cleared of any charges against her and that she won't end up being killed by the Military Police like Eren, Edward and Alphonse almost were ." She usually wasn't like this; being difficult with others and trying to barter with them, she was seen as the kind and selfless person who went out of her way to please people. But instead she was now giving the Scout officers a hard time, but she had too; with Ymir's fate looking uncertain she had to use the one thing she had over them.

"We don't have the authority to do something like that" informed Hange

Historia looked away, as if not to their faces when she answered "Then I'm sorry, but until Ymir's safety is assured then I can't tell you."

"Fine, if that's what'll take." said Levi calmly, his back leaning up against the side of the table "Erwin's jurisdiction should extent to your friend, or at least he could argue that." He didn't like that Historia was making this difficult for them, and he had half a mind to force her to give up that secret from the Minister, but from the sheer determination she had to defy her officers for her friend, a part of him did seem to respect that.

 _We're counting on you, bro!_

"Thank you, sir." said Historia "If it's alright I would like to talk to Erwin about this when he arrives."

Ed looked at himself in the mirror of the HQ bathroom; he'd taken off the Garrison jacket leaving only his white shirt they gave him, he clapped his hand together and placed it onto his hair, the black substance poured from his hair into a wooden bucket. _I wonder what Winry's doing?_ He thought to himself _they're probably all worried sick about us…_

"Hey" called out a voice to his left, he turned to see it was Jean holding his Scout jacket "Found this, figured you might want it back." Ed took the jacket from him "Commander Erwin might be here soon, so everyone else is gearing up."

"Thanks" said Ed as he placed it on

"So you were trying to go out on your own?" asked Jean "I don't know if you're either brave or stupid for thinking you and Mikasa alone could take on the Armoured and Colossal Titan."

"May sound crazy but those two aren't the toughest guys I'd come up against." Said Ed with a small smile on his face "You know Jean, I know another guy back on my world with the same name as you."

"Heh, really" replied Jean

"Yeah, guy's in the military too, like you and come to think of it you two do sound alike expect he was second lieutenant, but like you he did have lady troubles." Joked Ed

"What?" exclaimed Jean

"Eren told me, said you use to stare at Mikasa a lot" replied Ed

"Damn Yeager" replied Jean

"If it makes you feel better Eren was completely oblivious as to why." Said Ed with a smirk on his face

"Tch, the guy can be a real blockhead" snickered Jean as he and Ed left the bathroom

The sound of a bell rang through the city as a large column of soldiers arrived through Wall Sina and into Stohess. As they neared the Military HQ the signs of a battle taking place became more and more evident as the scale of destruction worsen the further down they went. Erwin entered the HQ and approached the office; he opened the door to find his subordinates and a recruit. Historia got up from her seat and saluted him "Sir" she said

"At ease, recruit." said Erwin "You're one of the top ten of the south division, Krista Lenz?"

"Yes, sir." Replied Historia

"So what's the situation?" asked Erwin

"Reiner and Bertholdt caught on to our trap, they managed to get away capturing Eren Yeager and Alphonse Elric, but they also caught a recruit by the name of Ymir who also happened to be a shifter herself." Said Levi, he then looked over to Historia and placed his hand on her head "Also this little brat has something to ask from you, she got Minister Nick to give up some secrets from the church and won't tell us unless we guarantee the safety of her friend."

Erwin looked at Historia; his towering figure cast a shadow over her. He turned to his subordinates "All of you get our forces ready, I'll talk to Krista alone." The three of left the room leaving Erwin and Historia alone to discuss Ymir's future.

Outside of the Military HQ the rest of the 104th and Edward, dressed in full combat uniform and ODM gear, waited with the reinforcements brought by Erwin. The street was crammed with horses and soldiers all talking to each other and all waiting for the commander.

"Are you sure you guys want to do this?" asked Armin, concerned for his friends mental wellbeing, he turned to Edward "Ed, Im sorry for this but I'd think it's best if you'd stay here; we can't risk losing you too."

"You know that's not going to happen, Armin" replied Ed "Like I've said; don't worry about me, I can handle myself, our main goal right now is getting them back and besides I'm the only one who can give you guys a shot at the Armoured Titan."

"You're right" Armin conceded

"We're all going" replied Connie "I want answers, I want to hear them tell us why" the rest of the 104th agreed with him, nodding their heads. Their attention was caught by two figures approaching them; it was Captain Ian Dietrich and Team Leader Rico Brzenska, the group saluted them.

"At ease" said Ian, he turned his attention to Edward "Hey Edward, it's been awhile, good to see you"

"Good to see you too, Ian." Replied Ed

"That's Captain, Edward" said Rico in a serious tone "You're in the military, you should address your superiors by their rank."

"Good to see you too, Rico" replied Ed with a smirk on his face "Where's Mitabi?"

"Sweeping the south with Captain Weilman" said Ian, Ed tried to hide his sour feelings towards Weilman; he still hadn't forgiven the guy for almost killing him and the others. "Word got around about what happened to Eren and your brother, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, we're getting them back." replied Edward, even now he couldn't stand other people's pity.

"Hey" came a shout from their side, it was Captain Levi "form up with the rest of the Scouts and get on your horses, Erwin will be out soon."

"That's our que, good luck." Said Ian as he and Rico headed to the front of the column

A column reformed along the main road towards the open hole into Wall Rose's interior. Erwin and Historia left the HQ; Erwin head for the head of the column while Historia joined back with her friends

"So what happened?" asked Sasha

"The Commander promised he'd do whatever he could to protect her." Said Historia

"And what did you ask for?" questioned Levi to Erwin, the group of Scout Officers huddled up together "Please tell me you at least got something out of her."

"She only revealed that the secret had a larger implication on her" replied Erwin "I simply asked her that in return should she play a larger role in the future she must commit herself to it fully and without question, whether we succeed in saving her or not."

Suddenly one of the Scouts comes galloping through the open hole in Stohess on their horse.

"Nifa!" called out Hange

"Squad Leader, Commander; we might have found their location" she pulls out a map from her pocket and showed it in full view of the Scout Officers "the Armoured Titan's tracks stop around here, there are scattered houses to the south-east in the rural area of Wall Rose; it's likely they'll be there."

"Then that's where we'll search" said Erwin, he climbed up onto his horse, flanked by Levi and Hange "The Mission is this!" he yelled, his powerful voice reaching far back into the line of soldiers "Retrieve Eren Yeager and Alphonse Elric from the Armoured Titan; the enemy has likely stationed themselves in south-west Wall Rose!" he paused for a second for a gasp on air, inhaling deeply "Now ride, forward!" he whipped the reins of his horse and galloped ahead, the over a hundred solders of the Scout Regiment, Garrison and Military police following.

The large force scoured the countryside; searching though the abandoned villages and houses that sparsely occupied the area. The formation had broken off into groups and kept them within an eight kilometer spread to keep their flares visible to the rest of the formation. Ed peered through the window of an abandoned cottage while Armin and Mikasa caught up with an old friend the formation had bumped into.

"Look at you kids" said Hannes "You've all grown up so much… yet things seem to never change; you're still trying to look out for him."

"There's a world of difference between Titans and bullies." Replied Armin, with a sad smile on his face

"Still, the kid has a knack for fighting even when the odds are stacked against him, I can't remember a fight he's ever won but I can't remember a time he's ever given up." Ed turned his head to the side slightly to listen in on their conversation "He had a fire in him; every time they'd knock him down he'd always get back up, I'd imagine those guys who kidnapped him and the others have their hands full dealing with him, I miss those days when I was nothing but some drunken soldier but I can't have those days back if you guys aren't together, so know this kids; if you three were to go into the very pits of hell then I'll be there to follow you." Ed walked up to the group "You're Edward Elric, I remember you back at Trost, so you're in the Scouts now?"

"Yeah, you must be Hannes" replied Ed as he extended his hand out "Eren talked about you."

"All good things I hope" said Hannes shaking his hand

"Of course" replied Ed smiling

"I heard about your brother" said Hannes "I'm sorr-" he was quickly interrupted

"You don't have to say you're sorry" said Ed "That won't change anything, we just have to focus on getting them back."

Hannes' mouth formed into a smirk "You know, that's something Eren would have said." Suddenly the sound of a gunshot going off caught everyone's attentions; they looked up to see a column of red smoke rising from the south, then just seconds later a bolt of lightning crashes into the ground near the red smoke flare.

"That's them!" yelled Armin, quickly they all mounted their horses and charged forward towards direction of where the lightning struck. All around them the sky was almost blocked out by a myriad of red smoke.


	30. Chapter 30: Duty or Desire

**Chapter 30: Duty or Desire**

Alphonse squirms uncomfortably under the large tongue of the Armoured Titans pinning him down to the floor of its jaw; thin rays of light escaped through the cracks along the Titan's teeth, illuminating the dark disgusting cave. Eren frantically thrashed about, trying fiercely to loosen his binds, however Ymir had him pinned down, his stomach pressed up against the Armoured Titan's shoulder.

As quickly as he could; Reiner made a mad dash to for Wall Rose, trying greatly to out run the soldiers hot on his heels. But the speed of the horses and the restrictive ability of his titan allowed groups of Scouts and the Garrison to quickly catch up to him. Bertholdt watched as two members of the Garrison leapt from the horses and fired their cables onto the back of the Armoured Titan's head, narrowly missing both Bertholdt and Ymir who stood on each side of the Armoured Titan's shoulders while clinging onto its hair, and reeled themselves forward with their blades drawn ready to strike. Bertholdt quickly takes out his own blades and cuts the wires of the attack Garrison soldiers; sending them tumbling to their deaths as they hit the ground.

Suddenly six steel hooks pierce through Armoured Titan's plating on the side of its face as three Scouts fired their cables onto the side of left Reiner's head; Reiner lifts up his hand and grabs their wires; pulling the hooks from his head, small fragments of his armour picked from his face, and violently flings them onto the ground, their screams quickly silenced with the sound of a sickening thud. So far they've been able to hold off incoming attacks and narrowly avoiding the desperate on-coming attacks made by the Garrison and Scout Regiment; the small group of soldiers that were pursing them were now all dead.

 _No going back from this…_ thought Ymir

But very quickly more and more soldiers began to come into view; trying to swarm them like predators chasing their prey as trails of red smoke were shot in their general direction and it was only just a matter of time before Mikasa, Levi or Edward caught up with them.

Bertholdt looked towards Ymir, who watched with an anxious look on her face at the ever approaching ranks of Walled Humanity pursuing them, a desperate plan crept into his mind "Ymir!" he called out, catching her attention "We can't outrun them like this, you need to buy us some time and disrupt their formation!"

Ymir gave Bertholdt an incredulous look "Are you nuts?" she yelled back "They'll kill me!"

"Your Titan is the fastest out of all of us" yelled Bertholdt, trying to convince her "Please! If I do it then I'll be a sitting duck but you've got a chance, please help us!"

Ymir continued to look at Bertholdt with a look of disbelief until a sudden idea came to mind _wait…_ she thought _this is my chance!_ "If I have to knock these guys back then I should also get Historia while I'm at it!"

"What?" yelled Bertholdt, a shocked look on his face "No, we don't have time for that!" he responded, his voice filled with anxiety, Reiner turned his head slightly to the side as if to look at Ymir, he wanted to emerge from his Titan and respond but couldn't; the situation called for him to keep moving and for Bertholdt to make the call.

"Screw you, you tall sweaty bastard!" shouted Ymir "If you want my help then that's my demand, I'll disrupt the formation and go after Historia or we can all get caught by Scouts!" Bertholdt turned his head to the Armoured Titan's nape as if hoping for Reiner to burst out and make the decision himself, Bertholdt was hoping, praying, Reiner would do so "No Bertholdt!" yelled Ymir "You make the call, now or never, either I go after Historia or we get overrun!"

Bertholdt turned back to Ymir and then to the Armoured Titan's nape; clenching his teeth he could feel the panic within him beginning to erupt _DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!_ He thought "Okay!" he yelled "Go after Historia but please just help us!" he cried.

Ymir's eyes quickly soften with a look of pure relief on her face "Get over here and take Eren!" she called out, Bertholdt swung over to her side and held a thrashing Eren onto Reiner's shoulder. "Take out one of your blades" she asked, Bertholdt quickly slammed his handles onto his blade and unsheathed it from its scarab, Ymir pressed the palm of her hand onto its razor sharp edge and the blade cutting cleanly into her hand leaving a straight line of red.

She leapt from the shoulder of the Armoured Titan and suddenly, out of a blindingly bright explosion, a five meter tall Titan with razor sharp teeth and claws crashed onto the ground and sprinted towards the formation.

* * *

"That's a flash!" yelled Mikasa, the bright explosion of light catching her eye

"But Reiner's already transformed" stated Armin as the memory of the flash of lighting striking the ground in the distance played in his mind "Its Ymir, she must have escaped!"

"You think she's got Al and Eren with her?" asked Ed riding along side them

"we can only pray that's the case" commented Hannes

"I'm not much of a praying man" replied Ed "I'll just have to go see it myself!" he then whipped the reins of his horse and shot forward into the direction of the flash, moving quickly ahead of the others

"Ed, wait!" yelled Armin as he stretched out his arm as if to stop him.

"Mikasa, Armin!" yelled Hannes, catching their attention "I'm moving back into my squad, you kids stay safe!" he yelled before riding off to the side

"One of them transformed" stated Hange, who was riding along side Erwin and Levi "It must be Ymir that initial transformation was Reiner's, definitely"

"And we'd see the Colossal Titan by now if it were Bertholdt" added Levi "They're not dumb enough to try and use that slow ass mountain against an entire formation."

"If its Ymir then we'll link up with her" stated Erwin, staring resolutely into the horizon, Wall Rose quickly coming into view "Soldiers, converge onto the location of the light!" he yelled, his voice carried across the area "Do not engage the Titan!"

" _Ymir is not an enemy of Humanity" declared Historia as Erwin listened to her intently "She saved my life and the lives of our comrades when the Titans attacked the castle, she even tried to attack the fur covered Titan leading the attack."_

"It's got to be Ymir!" yelled Sasha as they approached the five meter Titan, its long arms, messy hair and raven black eyes coming into view, it sat there waiting for them "It is her!" groups of soldiers began to surround her as more and more converged on her position, some shot flares into the air to signal their location.

"Ymir, where's Eren?" asked Connie urgently

"Where's Reiner and Bertholdt?" asked Jean "Did they get away?" but Ymir didn't respond, instead she only moved her head from side to side as if she was looking for someone in the ever growing crowd.

"What is she looking at?" asked Mina as she turned her head from side to side trying to find what Ymir was looking for. More and more people began to join the crowd as they all stared at the five meter Titan before them; it looked as though a quarter of the formation was watching her.

"Hey!" yelled Connie "C'mon you big ugly freak, we're running against the clock here!"

 _Come on… come on…_ thought Ymir, impatiently

"Ymir!" yelled a voice from the back, the five meter Titan head snapped towards the familiar voice; it was Historia, riding on her horse galloping towards Ymir.

"Something's not right…" muttered Rico, as she and Ian observed the Titan, she looked towards the crowd, whose eyes were all on Ymir, her own eyes then trailed back towards Wall Rose, that's when she caught sight of a bulky Titan climbing along the stone beam of the wall "It's a tri-!" she tried to warn them but before she could say finish her sentence; Ymir Titan's pounced from the ground and grabbed Historia with one of her large hands, her Titan body crashing into some unlucky soldiers in her path and sent them colliding into the ground with their horses.

"Huh?" exclaimed Historia as watched Ymir's Titan open its mouth, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth, the Titan then threw her into its wide jaws, like a child throwing a small piece of candy into mouth. She quickly turned her head towards a group of soldiers who watched her with a look of terrified shock; she had caught them completely off guard.

 _They must have thought I was on their side…_

They quickly fumbled for their handles and latched on the blades from their scarab but Ymir quickly flings her massive body onto the group, slamming into them and their horses and crushing some of them under the weight of her Titan. She clenched her hand into a tight fist and swings it into a group of Garrison soldiers, she swiped her claws at an oncoming Scout who had their blades drawn and charged towards her, Ymir's nails sliced through the poor soldier and their horse, the bloody chunks of their body splattering onto the grass.

"All units engage the enemy Titan!" ordered Ian, pointing his blade at her; the Ymir quickly raised her claws to her face as if to dare any of them to attack her.

"Ymir, you traitor!" yelled Jean, although he was angry at her for keeping her Titan ability a secret and in the past he never really trusted her because of her secretive nature; when she placed herself in harm's way during the battle at the castle and was willing to tell them everything he thought that perhaps now would be a good time to trust her, he now felt incredibly foolish for making such a judgement.

"Damn it, Ymir, not you too!" yelled Connie as he watched another one of his friends turn against them. Ymir turned her head towards her friends who looked at her with a mixture of pain and scorn which stood in stark contrast to the looks of relief that were on their faces only seconds ago.

 _I'm so sorry…_ she thought _you wouldn't understand but this is something I have to do…_

Ymir pounced off the ground and towards her friends and a group of scouts, suddenly a massive stone fist burst from the ground towards her, she quickly stretches out her hands and bounces off the incoming fist, landing roughly on the ground; bright blue sparks of light danced just off the corner of her eye, she turned her head to see Edward with his hands placed on the ground.

 _Do I have to beat you too?_ He thought, his eyes quickly scanned the damage she had down and the people she had killed "You're gonna pay for that." Threaten Ed "I'll be after those other two bastards once I'm done with you" Ymir was ready to pounce on Ed when the sound of more galloping horses catches her attention.

"Levi!" yelled Erwin "apprehend the shifter!"

 _Captain Levi!_ Thought Ymir apprehensively

"Mikasa!" yelled Armin, as he watched her gallop forward towards Ymir

 _Damn it, you too…_ Ymir quickly turned around and began sprinting towards Wall Rose; Reiner standing upon the Wall with Bertholdt waiting for her.

"After her!" yelled Erwin "Levi, take teams one and two, pursue her!" a group of scouts led by Levi chased after the five meter Titan. Ed quickly jumped onto the saddle of his horse, whipping the reins and following them. Erwin's eyes scanned the mess of injured and dead scattered across the small space of land "What happened?"

"That Titan shifter attacked us" responded Ian as he helped up an injured soldier "She swallowed up one of the recruits then launched her attack, took us by surprise." Ian's grip on his handle tightens as he thought about his inability to act sooner "she played us for fools and bought the enemy time to run."

 _So they know about her too_ thought Erwin _she's important to the church, central government and the Titan shifters… but why, why is the illegitimate daughter of a lord so important to this many groups? That's the question we have to find out._

"How many are dead?" Erwin asked solemnly

"Looks like less than twenty dead" replied Ian "She's really done a number on our formation"

"With all due respect, Commander, we should have never of trusted a Titan shifter" said Rico angrily "especially one that's ousted herself less than two days ago."

"Commander!" came a voice from the side; Erwin turned his head to see Nanaba galloping on her horse towards them, she frantically moved her head from side to side observing the carnage "Commander, what happened?" she asked agitated at the sight of the dead and wounded.

"Recruit Ymir had turned against us" informed Erwin "she's sided with the enemy." Erwin walked up to Nanaba "Nanaba, the shifter has taken Historia" he said in a hushed tone "Our main priority will be the recovery of Eren Yeager and Alphonse Elric, but we'll need to recover Historia Reiss if we're to find out the Reiss family's connection to the Wall cult and the central government; I'm tasking you with her recovery, if you find an opening then take it."

"Of course, Commander" replied Nanaba

* * *

With a swift heave the Armoured Titan lifted Ymir's Titan from the side of the wall and onto the top, Ymir looked down off to the side of Wall Rose to see the Scouts just reaching the Wall.

"They're almost here!" yelled Bertholdt "We have to leave!"

The Scouts fired their hooks onto the top "After them!" ordered Levi "We can't let them escape!" the group reeled themselves upwards towards the Titans standing on the wall, Ymir quickly grabbed onto the Armoured Titan's back with Bertholdt; the group then slid down from the wall and into Wall Maria just as the Scouts landed onto the wall.

Ed ran to the edge of the wall facing Wall Maria's interior and quickly caught sight of the Armoured Titan running off from Wall Rose "Bastards!" yelled Edward, viciously "Get back here!" he was about to jump off the wall when Levi grabbed him by his cloak.

"Don't be an idiot" said Levi "We can't go after them without our horses, we'll need to get the elevators from one of the districts and-"

"Don't bother." Said Edward, interrupting Levi and yanking himself free from his grip; Ed walked towards the edge of the wall "Captain, can you move the horses?" he asked though it sounded more like a demand, Ed leapt into Rose's interior, fired his cables onto the wall and he swung down onto the ground.

Only a couple of meter away from Wall Rose, the formation began to lick its wounds after Ymir's surprise attack "So Ymir's working with them?" asked Armin

"It's like everyone we've ever known is turning on us" said Sasha, staring at the ground with a look of sadness on her face

 _Why… why is this happening?_ Thought Mina, sitting down on the grass next to her horse, her arms resting on her knees _Reiner, Bertholdt, Ymir…Annie… why have you turned against us?_

Mikasa remained on her horse and stared into the direction Ymir had run off to; there was a bitter look on her face as the angry within her started to boil over her for not being there to stop Ymir and her inability to kill Reiner back at Stohess _I won't fail this time_ she promised herself _I'll kill them all if I have to…_

"If Levi hadn't caught up to them then it's safe to say they're gotten away" stated Hange as Erwin and the other Scout, Garrison and Military Police officers listened intently to her, she placed her finger onto Wall Maria and glided it down to Shiganshina district "this is our best bet in where they're going-" Suddenly the ground underneath them began to violently shake, a deep rumbling sound could be heard and the area beside Wall Rose in front of them was blocked out by a large slanted mountain of dirt and rock.

"What the hell…" muttered Ian as he and the other Garrison soldiers Scouts watched in complete awe at the sight.

"Hey, Erwin!" yelled Levi as he rode his horse up to the officers "Ed's made a ramp over the wall, we can still catch up with the Armoured brat."

"Then we haven't moment to lose" replied Erwin, he turned towards the mass of soldiers "Redeploy the formation, the mission to retrieve Eren Yeager and Alphonse Elrics continues!" there was a mass scramble as everyone hastily climbed onto the saddles of their horses.

Levi turned to face Hange who had an unusual grin on her face while she softly giggled to herself "What are you smiling at, shitty glasses?" he asked

"You know, Levi" said Hange "even with high expectations I've really underestimated the power of their Alchemy; when this is over I'm gonna get those two to teach me."

"God help us when you do" replied Levi, rolling his eyes slightly

"Rico!" yelled Ian as he climbed onto his horse "Take your team and secure the entrance, make sure the Titans don't use it to cross over, I'll take the rest of the company with Commander Erwin"

Rico clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes slightly at Ian; she wanted to follow her comrades into battle too "Yes, Captain" she replied, complying with the order "Team, secure the ramp; make sure not a single Titan tries to cross over into Wall Rose"

Ed's grip on the reins of his horse tighten as he watched from on top of the wall the Armoured Titan running off into the distance, he turned his head back towards the formation charging towards him "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon" he muttered impatiently, as the soldiers hit the base of the ramp Ed quickly turned his horse towards the ramp into Wall Maria's interior and rode downwards; chasing after the shifters that took Alphonse and Eren.

* * *

Ymir placed her hand over her mouth and with a disgusting cough she spat out Historia who was now soaked in thick saliva; Historia gasped violently as fresh air began to fill her lungs followed by an intense coughing fit. Eren turned his head as far back as he could and caught sight of Historia within the clutches of Ymir's Titan, he once more tried to struggle free but it was all in vain as Bertholdt held him down. A thick cloud of smoke suddenly burst from the Titan's nape revealing Ymir, the nerves of her Titan still connected to her face.

"Hey Kris- Historia" Ymir said between a few hard coughs "You're probably angry at me for eating you back there, sorry about that."

Historia looked to Ymir and then to Bertholdt who was holding down Eren who, in turn, was thrashing about "Ymir… what are you doing?" asked Historia, who was both confused and terrified "Where's Alphonse? We came to save you three-"

"I don't need saving!" shouted Ymir with an irate look on her face, her face quickly soften "I'm working with Reiner and Bertholdt now, you're coming with us; you can't stay inside the Walls, there's no future for the Walls!" Ymir let out a soft sigh "Listen, it's not so bad living on the outside; for one there's no one around to tell you that 'the world would be better off without you' which is already a plus"

Eren glared at Ymir _But getting eaten by Titans is so much better?_

"Well of course the Titans wouldn't tell me that; they'd be too busy trying to eat me!" Historia exclaimed

"Hey, nobody's perfect!" Ymir shot back "You just got to look past that! You remember what Armin said? They're people after all and besides there no going back for me, not after betraying the Walls."

"That's not true!" exclaimed Historia "Ymir we have to leave, the Commander promised your protection if you come with us, please there is a future in the Walls! Are they making you do this? If so then let me go and we can fight them together, no matter what, I'm on your side!" Ymir looked at Historia with a guilty expression

 _I really don't deserve someone like you…_ she thought to herself

"What the Hell!" yelled Bertholdt as he caught sight of the advancing force which was quickly catching up to them; he quickly turned his head to face Ymir "the Scout Regiment are still pursuing us!"

Reiner turned his head slightly, focusing on the ever growing sound of horses galloping towards them; there's no way they could have crossed over the wall that quickly but he knew exactly the person capable of doing it _Edward… that son of a bitch…_

* * *

"Heads up, Erwin" called Hange "We've got Titans coming in from the left" pointing to the pillars of red smoke reaching into the sky

"Not like we can stop the bastard in his tracks" said Levi "Our blades are close to useless against his armour"

"No, we can stop them" replied Erwin "Hange, you continue to lead the formation with Levi, if the Armoured Titan changes course then fire off a green flare in its direction" he then turned his head further to the right "Runners, relay that message to the others also if either Eren or Alphonse are rescued then fire off a blue flare, one for each."

"Yes sir!" replied the Scouts, as they turned their horses and moved back.

"Nanaba take second squad and follow me; we're moving to those Titans, tell the wings of the formation to converge into the centre." Ordered Erwin

"What the hell are you planning on doing, Erwin?" questioned Levi, his eyes narrowing as he looked at him

"Only what's necessary" Responded Erwin "Just continue onwards and follow my commands"

A steel hook pierced into the armour plating of Reiner's Titan, Bertholdt watched as a lone Scout reeled himself upwards towards him with their blades drawn, Ymir's Titan quickly snagged at the cable and threw the Scout onto the ground; his screams of terror were quickly followed by a low thud as his body hit the ground.

Edward watched as groups of soldiers tried in vain to rescue Eren from the other shifters, he caught sight of Eren being pinned down by Bertholdt on the Armoured Titan's left shoulder but not matter where he looked he couldn't see Alphonse among them _Damn it, where are they hiding him?_ He thought about going up there to fight against them himself but he knew it would likely end in his death like the others who tried and he wouldn't know where to hit; if he was going to rescue Alphonse then he'd need Eren's help to do it. He turned his head to the right to see Mikasa about to overtake him "Mikasa!" he called out, catching her attention "I'm going to rescue Eren, this didn't work out too well last time but just follow my lead!" he finished with a sly smile.

Mikasa fired her cables onto the side of Ymir's face and swung her blades at her eyes, slicing open left side of Ymir's face which cut through her eye. The Titan let out a loud screech from the pain. Bertholdt once more took out the blade from his scarab and raised it towards Mikasa; all while pinning Eren down with his knee. So focused on Mikasa, he never saw Ed come up from the side and before he realised it he was dealt a swift kick to the face; the sole of Ed's boot slamming into Bertholdt's temple, knocking him off Eren, Ymir quickly grabs Bertholdt before he could plummet down to the ground.

Ed quickly grabbed hold of Eren, he jumps off the Armoured Titan's shoulder and swings downwards, with Mikasa, onto their horses; the three riding away from the Armoured Titan. Bertholdt takes notice of their escape; he fires his cables onto the back of Reiner's head and reels himself forward.

"Reiner!" he yells, there was panic in his voice "They're got Eren!" the Armoured Titan quickly turned his head to the left to see two horses quickly riding off with their objective.

 _That son of a bitch!_ Thought Reiner, he quickly turned to the side and dug his heels into the ground, chunks of dirt and rocks were scrapped from the ground as he came to a slow halt, he then began sprinting after them.

"The Armoured Titan's changing course!" yelled Hange, grabbing her flare gun she pointed it to the Armoured Titan and fired; a trail of green smoke heading towards it "Soldiers, change course!"

"Looks like they might have saved them" commented Levi; the sound of pistol being fired off quickly grabbed their attention as they caught sight of a single line of navy blue smoke "Well one of them at least."

Mikasa grabbed onto the reins of Ed's horse, guiding it forward as Ed holstered his pistol, leaving a navy blue column of smoke behind them, he turned to Eren and began to remove his binds "Eren, where did they put Alphonse?" he asked urgently

Eren quickly positioned himself upright onto the horse "Reiner put him in his mouth!" he exclaimed "I don't think Reiner ate him, they need him alive." Ed quickly turned his head back to the Armoured Titan to see the large fifteen meter titan charging towards them and… what looked to be a few people hanging from the Armoured Titan…

* * *

Bertholdt stood on the Reiner's left shoulder, Ymir hung from his right while Historia was clinging onto Ymir's long hair and the three watched as Reiner began to chase after the three

Ymir burst from her Titan's nape "It'd be faster if I go after them" she stated

"Don't" said Bertholdt "We still have Ed's brother, he won't leave him and Eren's too proud to let someone else fight his battles; either we catch them or they come to us." His tone seemed a lot more cold and calculated, a far cry from his more nervous and indecisive self. Ymir was about to respond when suddenly the sound of cables being fired from the belt barrels and steel hooks breaking into the armoured plating caught their attention.

Ymir was about to snag at the wires until Historia quickly pulled at her hair to stop her "Ymir, wait!"

"Reiner! Bertholdt!" yelled Connie as he landed onto the Armour Titan's back, the two stared at each other for a few seconds.

There were so many things that needed to be said between the two "Stay back!" was the only thing that Bertholdt could say as he raised his blade at Connie, trying to keep his distance from him, Bertholdt turned his head away from Connie; he couldn't look him in the eyes. The sound of metal cables behind him caught Bertholdt's attention; he turned around to see Jean, landing onto the side of Reiner's face.

"Hey… Bertholdt" said Jean; his voice was slightly shaky as the two now came face to face again for the first time after the betrayal. Quickly more people began to land onto the Armoured Titan, Armin, then Sasha and then Mina; all of them now staring at Bertholdt who was waving his blades at them while actively avoiding making eye contact with them.

"You can't even look at us, huh?" asked Jean "You know I should beat you to a pulp, Bertholdt, seeing as you're the reason my home got swarmed by Titans a few months ago" his tone of voice was almost jokey for a serious threat.

"You, Reiner and Annie… you were all tricking us?" asked Connie, his voice aching with sadness "All this time, you three were playing us for fools"

"Did we all mean so little to you three?" asked Mina, sorrowfully "Thomas… Nic… Mylius… they all died because you broke down that gate, so many of our friends died; after all we've been through I thought we were your friends"

"This all has to be a mistake!" exclaimed Sasha "You three wouldn't just betray us like this!"

Bertholdt felt as though he was about to break; the full weight of his sins bare down on him _Please stop, it wasn't like that…_ he shut his eyes tightly trying to hold in the flood of tears, he tried desperately to hold his arms straight while pointing his blades at them; trying not to show any weakness to his friends, he wanted to block out their voices but he simply couldn't.

"Do you guys seriously plan on catching up with those horses and making a quick get away?" questioned Jean "After everything we've been through and everything you've done; Bertholdt, remember the jokes we'd use to make about your sleeping posture, we'd never know how you'd do it, hell we even use to try and predict the weather from it" Jean face then began to harden and his tone became more bitter "Now I wonder how you guys were able to sleep at all… next to the people whose lives you've ruined no less."

"Was all of it bullshit?" demanded Connie, with a feeling of desperation "about getting through all this and about remaining friends till the end and going out for drinks, you remember that Bertholdt it's what you told us, were you just lying about that?" Bertholdt's hands began to shake, the blades rattling slightly in the handle "Look at me, Bertholdt!" Connie yelled "was it all a lie?"

Bertholdt slowly opened his eyes and turned to face them, his friends, with tears welling in his eyes; it was only for a second but he got a good look at their faces. He quickly broke under the pressure of his guilt and hid his face his hands, the handles of his ODM gear pressing against his cheeks **"I DIDN'T WANT THIS!"** he cried as a flood of tears fell from his eyes "who can just kill people and accept it? Who the hell would choose to become these monsters? You think we wanted to do this?" the group watched Bertholdt, slacked jawed as he broke down before them "people hate us, of course they do, the things we've done are unforgivable…we can't live with this guilt; but being your friends made it just a bit easier" he lowered his hands and looked upon the shocked and sadden faces of his friends "Yes, we hid this from you, we hid this from everyone, but we really did think of you as our friends; I know you can never forgive us but please, someone…anyone… **FIND US!"**

* * *

Ed glared daggers at the Armoured Titan charging after them, his eyes focused on the Titan's rows of teeth, he quickly devised of a plan to rescue Alphonse from the Jaws of the Armoured Titan "You guys get going" he said, his voice possessing its usual courage "I'm going after Al."

"No way" replied Eren "we're not leaving you to do this alone" Eren raised his hand to his face and began opening and closing it "my body's healed now, I can transform into my Titan"

"You helped get Eren back, I'll help you get Alphonse back" added Mikasa _besides… I still have to kill them_

Edward couldn't help but smile at the two "Alright, first we've got to-" very quickly his attention was drawn to a low rumbling sound which seem to grow in its intensity. The three quickly turned their gaze forward "What the hell!" yelled Edward

"Bertholdt, Reiner… you don't have to do this" pleaded Armin "Just stop chasing after Eren and hand Alphonse over, you can leave, just go back to your hometown"

"I'm sorry, Armin" replied Bertholdt, looking at the person he considered to be a close friend during their cadet years "we simply can't…" he then raised his blades back up "this can only end in two ways; either we get Eren and Alphonse or one of you is going to have to kill m-"

"Guys!" yelled Historia, she eyes focused ahead "Its Commander Erwin and he has a Titan horde following him!" the group turned their heads to the front, their eyes greeted to the view of a large horde of Titans trailing a squad of Scouts trying to escape the Titans clutches on their horses.

"Erwin, you crazy shit" growled Levi as he and Hange caught sight of the Titans in front of the Armoured Titan

"Soldiers, move now!" ordered Hange, firing off a flare to her right.

The 104th quickly leapt from the Armoured Titan and swung themselves down onto their horses, Edward and Mikasa sharply pull the reins of their horses to the right; trying to gallop away from the charging Titan horde, Historia hung onto Ymir's hair while Bertholdt clung onto Reiner's hair from behind.

Erwin sharply extended his arm rightwards "soldiers disperse!" he ordered "move from the Titans!"

Drawn to the Armoured Titan before them, the Titans threw themselves onto Reiner, colliding into his Titan; they grabbed at his arms and legs, holding him in place, while trying desperately to bite through its heavy armour. The force of impact threw Alphonse around in the Armoured Titan's mouth, freeing him from under its tongue, the muffled roars and rumbling clued him in on what had happened. From a safe distance the coalition of soldiers watched as the horde of Titans kept the Armoured Titan bogged down on the spot.

"Who did we secure?" asked Erwin

"We've got Eren" replied Mikasa "But Alphonse is trapped in the Armoured Titan's mouth."

"We've got our Titan shifter and one of the Elrics, we should just retreat while we still have a chance." said one of the MPs "We can't risk more of our men like this."

"Those boys are worth more than ten of us" argued one of the Scouts "we can't let any of them fall into the hands of the enemy"

"Would you like to tell that to the families of those men who are worth less than just one of those three?" the MP shot back

"Commander…" called out Ed "If you don't want to risk more lives then that's fine, but I'm still going after my brother; we'll meet you back at the ramp."

"No Edward, we're not leaving you here alone" replied Erwin, he wasn't about to let one of humanity's greatest assets go alone on the field nor was he going to let Humanity's enemies make off with one, he quickly turned his head to Levi "Levi, teams one and two are under your command; clear a path for us" he whipped the reins of his horse and move further forward "All Squads, charge!" he ordered, his booming voice heard across the field, the soldiers behind the commander looked at him dumbfounded and dismayed at what he was ordering them to do "Humanity's future shall be decided here! If you wish to see Wall Maria recaptured within our life time then we must have the combined efforts of those three, now go! Recover Alphonse from the jaws of the Armoured Titan then retreat!" he slammed the handles of his blade onto the left side of his chest

" **DEDICATE YOUR HEARTS!"** He declared as he rode forward into the Titan horde

"You heard the Commander, get your asses moving!" ordered Levi as he rode forward

Ed was the first to charge forward with the commander "Ed wait!" yelled Connie, suddenly a large bolt of thunder struck the ground near them, the light blinding them for a second to reveal a familiar fifteen meter muscular Titan with long black hair, jagged teeth and piercing emerald eyes. Eren's Titan let out a deafening roar at the Armoured Titan before making a charge forward into the fray, quickly catching up to the Commander.

 _So that's what Eren's Titan looks like…_ thought Hannes as he observed the fifteen meter Titan charging forward

Mikasa quickly followed, followed by Mina; Jean and Armin both steeled themselves and whipped the reins of their horses to charge forward, quickly everyone began to charge forward, a thunderous war cry following them.

Ymir tore at the nape of a fourteen meter Titan while Reiner began swatting away at them; his fists colliding into faces of the Titans trying to devour him, a bright flash of light quickly caught his attention; his target, his whole reason for being here, was charging towards him _Heads up, Bertholdt_ he thought, expecting a rematch with Eren _we'll just have to endure this a little longer!_ Some of the Titans caught sight of the mass of soldiers charging towards them, the broke off from their attack and ran towards them.

"How the hell are we going to slip past them?" muttered Jean, as he watched the Titans run towards them

"Advance!" ordered Erwin as he stuck out his right arm, hidden amongst the trees a Titan on all fours leapt out and chomped down on his right arm, pulling him off his horse and quickly crawling away with the commander on all fours.

Levi pulls his horse back as he watched in terrified shock at Erwin dangling from the Titan's jaws

"Erwin!" yells Hange, panicking as the Commander of the Scout Regiment and one of her friends gets taken away in the jaws of a Titan

Erwin lifted his left arm forward, pointing his blade at the direction of the Armoured Titan **"ADVANCE!"** He ordered to everyone's shock "Secure Alphonse Elric, carry on with the mission!"

Hange clenched her jaw, frustrated "Soldiers, continue to charge!"

Levi growled at him as his grip on the reins of his horse tightens _Erwin, you fucking idiot!_ He thought "Team one, save the Commander!" he yells as he charges forward "Team two, you're with me!" he quickly leapt off his horse; he fired his cables onto an on-coming thirteen meter Titan and effortless swung around behind to slice open its nape. A ten meter Titan attempted to grab at him, sticking its arm out to get Levi into its clutches; Levi jumps from the slain Titan's nape and cuts off the ten meters fingers and with impossible speed rotates in a circle slicing the Titan's arm into large chunks of flesh before finishing it off with a swift cut to the nape.

Eren sprinted towards Reiner, aiming to tackle his to the ground and smash the Armoured Titan's teeth in with his fists, when a twelve meter titan tackles him from his side and sends them both onto the ground; the Titan quickly pins Eren to the ground and began to gnaw at his shoulder. Eren throws the Titan off to his side and begins punching it repeatedly in its throat, a cloud of smoke partially blocking his view. Suddenly a fifteen meter Titan grabs Eren's head and left shoulder from behind, angling him to the side as it bite down on his nape; Mikasa quickly fires her cables onto the Titan's neck, she reels herself forward and slashes at its nape. More Titans began to descend upon Eren, his Titan let out another deep roar as it prepared to fight.

Mina fired her hooks onto the side of the Armoured Titan's face and pulled herself forward landing squarely onto its armoured cheek, she paused for a moment to catch her breath; everything seemed to go by in a blur, first she was ducking under the hands of a fourteen meter Titan while a Scout from Team one sliced its nape and now she found herself the first Scout to make it to Reiner _How have I not run out of luck at this point?_ she thought, she then turned her attention to the jaw of the Armoured Titan _now how am I going to do this…_

Trying to plant his boots firmly inside the mouth of a Titan, while covered in saliva, is a difficult task, yet Alphonse managed to find his footing; he clapped his hands together and slammed them onto Reiner's teeth, sparks of lighting illuminated the disgusting cave in a sky blue colour before the rows of front teeth shattered into pieces and an flood of light from the sun poured through. Alphonse covered his eyes, his eyes adjusting to the light; he lowered his hand and stuck his head out from the hole in the Armoured Titan's mouth

"Al!" yelled Mina, catching his attention; she extended her arm outwards trying to reach him when suddenly slices at her arm, leaving a deep cut into her upper arm, she pulls her arm back and clutches at the wound.

Both Mina and Alphonse look up to see Bertholdt standing on top of the Armoured Titan's head; Bertholdt swings again but this Mina just manages to defect it with her own blade. Alphonse claps his hands together and places it onto one of the Armoured Titan's teeth; a halberd sports from the tooth, Alphonse grabs hold of the weapon, he sticks his body out of the hole and thrusts the halberd at Bertholdt. Bertholdt quickly deflects the attack and takes a swipe at Alphonse who narrowly dodges the attack. Suddenly the sound of more steel hooks breaking into the Armour plating catches Bertholdt attention, he turns to see Edward zooming towards him; Bertholdt swings his blade at Ed but Ed quickly blocks the attack using his own ones, their blades locked together the two now found themselves in a standoff.

"Go now!" yelled Edward to Alphonse and Mina, she quickly grabs Alphonse hand, pulls him out of Reiner's mouth and swings them both down onto her horse. Ed turns back to Bertholdt, the two glared at each other through their locked blades.

"It doesn't matter what you can do, you can't beat us!" declared Bertholdt as he tried to push forward.

"I'm sure your friend with the big nose thought the same thing" taunted Ed as he pushed his weight forward onto Bertholdt "But now she's paying the price for her crimes…and so will you two."

After the confrontation with his former friends and their objectives slipping away from them, Edward taunting him about Annie had caused Bertholdt to finally snap "You weren't sent by God!" he yelled "You're an apostle of the Devil, sent here to help his children!" suddenly Bertholdt felt as if all the air had been taken out of him, his eyes widen and he look down to see a blade pierced through his stomach.

Ed moved back as far as he could, he peered to the side of Bertholdt to see Levi, his face and uniform was drenched in steaming blood with his blade buried in Bertholdt's lower back "Ed, go now!" he yelled as he detached the handle leaving the large blade buried into Bertholdt. The two quickly swing down, angling their fall onto some nearby horses. Bertholdt fell from the top of Reiner's head; his cables left him dangling in Reiner's field of vision.

Nearby, Erwin watched as both Levi and Edward made their escape, clutching the bloody stump where is arm should be "All Squads retreat!" he ordered

Eren threw the five meter Titan across the field, rolling in the dirt _Get out of my way!_ He thought, Mikasa landed on his right shoulder, wiping the blood from her face; Eren was about to charge into Reiner until he the sight of a blue flare caught his attention _they got Alphonse!_ Quickly groups of soldiers began their escape from the horde and the Armoured Titan. Eren's Titan let out a throaty growl of frustration at the thought of not finishing off Reiner and Bertholdt _this isn't over…_ he thought as he turned his back on them and make a break with the other soldiers escaping.

* * *

The eight meter Titan slammed Ymir onto the ground, Ymir's claws pierced into its neck trying to hold the Titan back; the Titans roared at each other as they fought. Historia quickly fired her cables into the nape of the Titan and lacerated it, the Titan collapsed dead onto Ymir while Historia swung herself onto a nearby tree.

"Another kill to my name." she muttered to herself, she fell onto the ground and began running towards Ymir "Ymir are you-"

"Historia!" yelled Nanaba as she scooped her off the ground, holding her with one arm while she rode her horse.

Historia looked up at her "What are you doing?" she asked, somewhat panicked

"We're escaping" stated Nanaba "both Eren and Alphonse have been secured and I've been tasked with your rescue"

"No!" yelled Historia as she tried to struggle under Nanaba's grasp "Let me go!"

"Are you serious?" questioned Nanaba; she turned around to see a familiar five meter Titan trailing them from behind

"We have to go with Reiner and Bertholdt!" yelled Historia "If I don't then those two are going to kill her, they need me and I have to be there to protect her!"

"If your friend wants to live then she will follow us back into Wall Rose and she'll answer for collaborating with those two and the deaths of those soldiers!" replied Nanaba "But you are going back into the Walls with the rest of us, that is an order!" Nanaba turned her head forward "beside I doubt she's doing this for her sake; I may not know much about your relationship with her but it's clear to me that she cares about you, I don't know a lot of people who would willingly cut their own arm off to protect a person who they would only consider as their comrade."

Suddenly a large shadow was cast over them; they looked up and watched in dumbfounded terror as a fifteen meter Titan had been thrown over them. The mass of soldiers galloping on horseback could only stare at the Titan raining down on them and crashing onto the ground blocking their path.

"Crazy son of a bitch!" yelled Jean as he turned his head back to face Reiner

Then another was thrown Titan, this time it collided into Eren's back, knocking him and Mikasa down onto the ground. Using her gas, Mikasa managed to cushion her fall slightly however she rolled onto the ground roughly, her face rolling over a sharp rock leaving a single deep cut just below her right eye.

The Titan quickly got up and pinned Eren to the ground, it then bit down on a part of his upper arm and tore off a large chunk of flesh from his Titan body. Mikasa quickly got to her feet; she stumbled a bit, clutching at her at her ribs, before firing her cables onto the Titan's upper back, pulling her forward and slicing open its nape. Eren emerged from his Titan, thin red lines covering his cheeks, he tore himself free from his Titan body, slid down its neck and ran up to Mikasa.

"Mikasa!" he called out, he held her up as she was about to collapse onto her knees

"I'm fine" she replied as she regained her balance

"C'mon we gotta get out of here" said Eren but before he could call for a horse, the two quickly noticed a low rumbling sound to the side of them; he turned his head to see another horde of Titans approaching them…

And a disgustingly familiar and ugly smile on one of their faces…

Eren felt his blood boil, his breathing quickly became erratic and he stared at the familiar Titan with murderous intent in his eyes "Mikasa… find a horse and get going" he said, barely containing his anger

"No" replied Mikasa, resolutely "I'm staying with you"

"You're injured; you're in no shape to fight!" Eren responded, his anger now spilling over

"That doesn't matter" said Mikasa "You told me to fight; if we lose we die, if we win we survive… but if we don't fight then we can't win so I'm staying and I'm fighting with you!"

Even with his anger flaring up Eren couldn't help but feel touched that Mikasa remembered the words he told her all those years ago "Alright…" he conceded "but that Titan's mine." He moved a few steps from Mikasa and raised his clenched fist to his mouth, all while never taking his eyes off the Titan that ate his mother.

Edward pulled his horse back as a ten meter Titan crashed into the ground in front of him, Mina's horse stood sharply onto its hind legs causing the both Alphonse and Mina to fall to the ground. The ten meter Titan slowly began to get up, Al panicked; he clapped his hands together and slammed them onto the ground, a large spike impaled the Titan's head. Mina quickly got off the ground and pulled Alphonse up.

 _Sorry about that!_ Thought Alphonse, looking back at the Titan

Hange fired her cables onto the injured Titan and quickly executed the large Titan "Edward, Alphonse!" she yelled out "get on a horse and head for Wall Rose!"

Edward didn't hear Hange, instead he was focused on the twelve meter Titan a few meters away from him, within its clutches was a MP; he looked a bit like Kain Fuery with his roundish face and slightly spiky hair… and he was about to be eaten alive by a Titan.

 _If I don't do something then he's going to die_ thought Ed _but I can't kill them, they're people…_

 _The Titans are humans turned into monsters…but does that still make them any less human?_

The poor MP was now staring into the wide mouth of the Titan, his head was about to move past its teeth… suddenly the Titan jerked forward and let out a pained shriek before collapsing onto ground, its large palms cushioning the fall of the MP, he turned to see Edward looking down at him "You alright?" asked Ed as he helped him up

"Yes… thank you" replied the MP before he ran off after his horse

Edward looked back at the Titan he'd slain; it wasn't his first Titan kill, it was one among over a dozen, but it was his first kill full knowing that these monsters were just people.

He had knowingly killed a person.

 _I had to do it… there was no other way_

"Brother…" muttered Alphonse, if the Titans were in fact people then was there anyway in turning them back to normal? Much like Kimble's former subordinates who were turned into chimera shouldn't they at least find a way to undo this? Alphonse didn't believe it was hopeless for them because he didn't believe it was hopeless for Darius, Heinkel, Jerso, Zampano… and himself.

Without warning two more Titans, five and four meters, were thrown near them _If we can't capture them, then I'll just have to kill them_ thought Reiner, just below his head Bertholdt gripped the slowly healing wound in his stomach, he turned his head to see Eren fighting off another horde of Titans who'd wondered into the field; if everything went well then Eren will have gotten himself eaten fighting the horde. Alphonse slammed his hands onto the ground; a pair of stone hands burst from the ground grabbing at the five meter Titan's feet and swiped it off its feet and held it down, Levi watched precariously as Alphonse went out of his way to avoid killing the Titan.

Moblit fired his cables at the four meter; he slashed at its eyes, blinding the Titan, while Hange went in for the kill. "Squad leader, more Titans will be here any second, we have to evacuate!" before Hange could respond, two more Titans a seven meter and a nine meter crashed down near them. Alphonse clapped his hands together and extended his arm to the side; A halberd rose from the ground within a bright blue circle of light, he clutched the weapon with both hands. Ed and Mina drew out a pair of new blades from their scarab, ready for a fight.

* * *

Jean and Armin charged forward towards Eren and Mikasa "Damn idiot!" yelled Jean "Now's not the time to be fighting another Titan swarm!" all of a sudden another Titan, a three meter, was thrown in their direction, stopping them in their tracks; A fourteen meter quickly followed, landing right next to them "Out of the way, you bastards!" yelled Jean as he drew his blades out.

They quickly evaded the Titan and continued towards Eren and Mikasa "Hurry Armin!" yelled Jean, looking back at Armin… not noticing the three meter Titan flying towards them

"Jean lookout!" yelled Armin but it was too late; the Titan collided into their horses, sending them crashing onto the ground. Armin quickly got up from the ground and ran to a now unconscious Jean; he grabbed Jean by the hood of his cloak and desperately dragged him away while waving his blade at the approaching three meter Titan

"Jean, Armin!" yelled Connie as he slashed at the nape of the three meter Titan, saving his friends. Sasha quickly followed behind still on horseback and holding onto the reins of Connie's horse

"Quick, you guys!" shouted Sasha "Get on!"

"Look out!" yelled Armin "more Titans heading towards us!" they all turned their heads to see a group of four to three meter Titans walking towards them

"Oh C'mon…" muttered Connie as he stared at the Titans in disbelief at their incredibly bad luck

* * *

Ymir charged at Erwin, who was galloping away from a pursing Titan, she stared at the commander with murderous intent _you and that damn Edward Elric_ she angrily thought _you two ruined everything!_ She leapt off the ground and towards Erwin

"Commander!" yelled Nanaba as she and Historia trailed behind Ymir

Erwin turned to look at Ymir's Titan pouncing in his direction with her arms outstretch; he didn't feel fear in that moment, only anger and frustration over the idea that he may never fulfil his dream, Ymir's claws with over the Commander and instead slamming into the Titan pursuing him, saving him from possible death. Erwin looked back, perplexed, while Nanaba breathed a sigh of relief. Historia leapt off Nanaba's horse; she fired his cables onto Ymir's head and landed squarely on her forehead.

"Recruit!" yelled Nanaba

"Please, XO" pleaded Historia "just let me talk to my friend."

* * *

"Erwin!" yelled Hange as she ran towards Erwin, who was clutching at his stump, Levi quickly arrived at the scene, a new layer of blood covering him from the Titans he had slain in quick succession "Erwin, we got to get you on a horse!"

"We're practically running on fumes at this point" stated Levi "and I'm down to my set of blades."

"Go, forget about me…" Erwin replied, his voice restrained as he held back the immense pain in his right side "I'm replaceable; just focus on getting those three out of here, that's my final order."

Levi glared at Erwin before slapping him on the back of his head, staining Titan blood in his blond hair, Erwin looked up to Levi confused "Stop being an idiot and get on a horse!" yelled Levi

* * *

Eren slammed the fifteen meter Titan onto the ground; face buried in the dirt as Eren bit into its nape and tore the chunk of flesh from his neck. A fourteen meter quickly grabbed Eren's left arm from behind; it bit down onto to his upper arm and ripped his arm off, Eren swiftly turned around and threw a hard blow to the Titan's face, sending him flying off to the side. Mikasa slashed at the nape of a nine meter Titan looking to grab one of Eren's legs; A six meter Titan charged towards her, she fired her cables onto a nearby tree, using her gas, she swing around, the Titan following her, moved behind the Titan and carved a large hole into its nape. Mikasa fired her cables onto Eren's shoulder, detaching her blades and attaching new one; they faced the other Titans and the Titan they were after, the one with the sinister smile, seemed to be hiding behind the others

 _I'll kill every last one of them if it means I can get my hands on you!_ Eren thought as his Titan let out deep loud roar

Hannes sliced at the ankles of a ten meter Titan, allowing one of his subordinates to quickly slash at the nape of the Titan; he's quickly alerted to the roar nearby to see Eren's Titan confronting another horde _Eren, Mikasa!_ He thought he quickly took hold of his horse.

"Hannes!" yelled Ian, catching his attention "The MPs' line is about to break, take your men and reinforce them!" Ian peered to the side to see Eren's Titan staring down another Titan horde "Eren can handle it" said Ian, trying to reassure him "Kid took out twenty Titans in Trost, he can handle them."

A five meter Titan leapt at Eren, its jaws opened wiped to take a large chunk out of him; Eren countered with a upper cut to the Titan's mouth, smashing the top part of its head, before stomping at its neck, he turned back to face the Titan that killed his mother _Almost there…_ he thought, though his Titan didn't show it, there was a hungry grin on his face. His breathing was heavy and he had spent most of his energy fighting off the other Titans; he only had a little bit of strength left in him to kill that Titan.

Mikasa collapsed onto her knees; trying to catch her breath while holding the left side of her body, fighting back the pain, she looked down at her blades, her last pair, they looked like they were about to break _Keep…going…_ she thought as she forced herself up. A twelve meter Titan slowly approached her, she fired her cables onto the neck of the Titan; looking to quickly end its life, she pressed the trigger for the gas which shot her forward into the air, blades drawn, she was ready to kill this Titan. Suddenly the Titan swung its hand at her, looking to grab Mikasa; she swings her blades at the incoming hand, slicing off its fingers but shattering her blades in the process. The Titan then grabs Mikasa with its other hand, squeezing at her ribs

"AHHHH!" She cries

Eren turns his head towards Mikasa, witnessing the twelve meter Titan holding her in its large hands _Mikasa!_ He looks back at the Titan with the wipe smile on its face approaching him and then back to Mikasa. His opportunity for vengeance was right there… within his grasp and with his last bit of strength he could avenge his mother…

Mikasa tried desperately to free herself from the Titan grasp; trying to slice off its fingers with her dull and broken blades. The Titan slowly opened its jaw, ready to devour Mikasa; without warning Eren grabs the Titan's wrist and forces its hand away from its mouth. The Titan roared at Eren and Eren roared back; the twelve meter Titan bit into Eren's shoulder, trying to reach for the nape, using his right arm Eren pulled the Titan back, tearing off a chunk of his shoulder, he then chomped into the side of the Titan's neck using his last bit of strength to rip off half its neck. The Titan collapsed onto the ground into a steaming corpse while Eren's Titan fell to its knees, pillars of thick smoke emanating from its wounds.

Mikasa limped towards Eren's Titan; the fifteen meter monster breathing heavily and its body slumped forward "Eren…" she whispered

 _I'm not letting you die here…_ thought Eren as he looked down at her _I'm staying with you…_

The last Titan loomed over the two; staring at Eren's Titan and Mikasa, Eren looked upwards, coming face to face with the Titan that killed his mother.

Hannes felt a mixture of dread and anger as he caught sight of the Titan that killed Carla all those years ago now looming over her son about to eat him. _Oh God no…_ he quickly climbed up onto his horse and quickly grabbed onto the reins of another one; he whipped the reins of his horse and sprinted towards the two, hoping that it wouldn't be too late.

The Titan then began to move its head forward towards Eren; with whatever morsel of strength he could muster Eren let out a vicious roar while staring into the eyes of his mother's killer and swings his right hand towards the Titan's face…

* * *

Reiner shook as he felt a surge of energy pass through him, Bertholdt gasped as the feeling of burst of energy course within him and Ymir froze on the spot shaking for a second as the feeling of being struck by lightning quickly past her

In a cell inside Stohess, Annie suddenly felt an intense rush of energy run through her; she jerked forward, rattling her chains.

"Hey, what's going on?" questioned one of her guards while the rest apprehensively reached for their blades

 _Eren's the Coordinate…_

* * *

The smiling Titan was thrown back away from them, crashing onto the ground; it slowly got back up to its feet, Eren let one final determined cry at the monster _you're not taking another person away from me!_ Suddenly a large fifteen meter Titan ran past both Eren and Mikasa and tackled the Titan back onto the ground. They both watched in shock as an ordinary Titan began tearing into another one of its own. Hannes watched in absolute amazement as Titans ran past him and past the kids, it was as if they were just ignoring them.

"What the-?" yelled Armin as he, Connie and Sasha watched as the Titans ran away from them

"Honestly I just don't know anymore and I couldn't give a shit at this point" said Connie as he turned towards his horse "Let's get moving!"

"What the hell is going on?" said Ed as he, Al and Mina watched as the two Titans they were going to face off against run away with a stampede of Titans.

Hange watched with a feeling of disbelief, amazement and pure joy at the sight of Titan behaviour never once seen before "Holy hell!" she yelled, pointing at it excitedly "Do you see that!"

"Yeah I see it" replied Levi "Now let's get the fuck out of here" grabbing onto a horse, he looked back at the sight even he was completely amazed at what they were watching.

Eren burst through his Titan's nape and climbed down onto the ground; Mikasa quickly grabbed onto him, hugging him tightly.

"Kids!" yelled Hannes as he rode up to them "Can you ride?"

"Hannes!" exclaimed Eren "Yes!"

Hannes tried desperately to hold back his tears, putting on a brave smile "Good, now get on!" Eren and Hannes both lifted Mikasa before Eren got on; quickly the three made their escape.

"You two!" yelled Nanaba to Historia and Ymir "We have to move, now!"

"Yes, OX!" responded Historia

Ymir watched as the Titans tore apart one of their own; quickly everything became clear to her _Eren's the Coordinate! Maybe… maybe there is a future for the Walls…_

Reiner charged towards Eren and Mikasa as they tried to get away _this is bad…_ thought Reiner _why'd the Coordinate fall into his hands, unless we capture it, we're all doomed; They're the last person in the world who should have that power, Eren_

Eren turned his head to face them, he pulled the reins of his horse holding it in place "Stay the hell back!" he yelled, that same burst of energy coursed through them once more "You bastards, I'll kill you all!" suddenly the Titans who were devouring the large Titan with the wide smile quickly turned their attention to the Armoured Titan once more.

Reiner turned to face the Titan horde heading straight towards him _Bertholdt!_ His thoughts solely on the safety of his friend _I can't protect him!_

"This may be our only chance" said Erwin as he climbed onto his horse "Soldiers, retreat!" no one needed to be told twice; they quickly began to gallop away from the Armoured Titan as he was held in place by horde of Titans.

"Amazing…" muttered Hange as she continued to watch wide eyed at the scene while riding away with the others

"Squad Leader, please focus on the escape!" pleaded Moblit

Bertholdt slashed wildly at the Titans trying to grasp at him, they all stared at him with hungry eyes looking to devour him; Ymir watched as both Reiner and Bertholdt struggled against the horde of Titans, if nobody intervened to save them then they were as good as dead.

 _Someone…anyone… FIND US_

 _I'm the only person who knows what you've been through…_ thought Ymir as she watched them

"Ymir!"" called out Historia, catching her attention

"Recruits, the formation is going and we're about to be left behind!" yelled Nanaba "Get moving!"

Ymir ignored Nanaba, instead she turned to Historia and gently ran his large finger along Historia's hair, Nanaba watched slightly apprehensive as Ymir stroked Historia "sOrRy" the Titan croaked

Historia gave Ymir a perplexed look "Wuh?" was all she said to Ymir before her best friend ran off towards the Armoured Titan and the Titan horde; Nanaba grabbed the reins of Historia's horse, pulling her along while Historia stretched her arm out at Ymir, telling her to come back.

* * *

Under the midnight blue sky and the bright moonlight, the formation galloped back to Wall Rose, the journey was silent; no one spoke to each other yet they clung onto one another tightly as if holding on for dear life.

Eren looked off to the side; Alphonse held onto Ed, with Mina riding next to them, as the two rode alongside him, Armin held onto Jean still in a daze with Connie, Sasha and Historia next to them and behind them was Hannes, keeping his eyes closely on them.

So many people had to die to save him and Alphonse but for just a brief moment he was thankful that all the people close to him didn't die today.

* * *

Hey everyone, well, I'm back and to anyone who wanted Ymir to go along with them I'm really sorry I couldn't make that happen; I really did try to fit her into the story but I ran in some problems. Now, lets move onto the Uprising Arc.


	31. Chapter 31: The Aftermath

**Chapter 31: The Aftermath**

Under the darkness of the night sky, a small section of Wall Rose was dotted with faint orange lights; a squad of Garrison soldiers manned the walls keeping a watchful eye on the gigantic ramp before them and the wide open spaces of Wall Maria for both the formation and wandering Titans.

"Team leader!" called out one of the Garrison soldiers, riding up onto the Wall "reinforcements have arrived and medical teams are on standby."

"Get more troops on the wall and have them on lookout" ordered Rico

"See anything yet?" asked Rico to her subordinate peering into a their telescope

"Nothing yet, sir" responded the Garrison soldier "no sign of the expedition or any Titans"

"Team leader" called out another Garrison soldier "the formation's been gone for a while now, should we send a recon team to search for them?"

Rico took out a silver pocket watch from her side, she checked her watch and watched as the hand drew closer to twelve o'clock _close to midnight…_ she thought; she looked off to the side, into Wall Maria, a feeling of dread slowly began to consume her "Have a few teams ready to move-" without warning a muffled bang caught their attention; the watchers rushed over to the edge and caught sight of a green line of smoke overlaying the distant moon.

"Formation's back" muttered Rico with a sigh of relief "Everyone into position, watchers continue to keep an eye out for any Titans!" she ordered as the sound of dozens of horses galloping towards them grew closer and closer.

"Hurry up!" yelled the Garrison soldiers waving his hand towards the soldiers rushing over to the other side, over the enormous ramp "Get to the other side; we got medical teams on standby for the injured!" a large flood of horses and men scrambled down into Wall Rose's interior. A disorganised mass of people congregated at the foot of the ramp as medical teams urgently tended to the wounded soldiers falling off their horses.

"Captain!" yelled Rico as she spotted Ian riding up the ramp; she lifted her torch up, signalling her location. Ian rode up to Rico, there was a blank look on his face as he climbed down his horse, Rico looked him concerned "What happened?" she asked

Ian sighed heavily "where to start…"

As his feet touched the ground from his saddle, Connie's fell to his knees and began sobbing; overwhelmed by a feeling of shock and happiness over being alive he quickly began sob into his hands. "Fucking hell…" he muttered

Nanaba quickly caught Historia as she collapsed from her horse "Historia!" she yelled, Historia was limp in her arms, breathing heavily "I need some water!" she called out to one of the medical teams

Edward slid off the saddle of his horse, his legs shook slightly as they touched the ground; he turned towards Alphonse and extended his hand out, Alphonse grabbed Ed and slid off the horse. Immediately Ed pulled in Alphonse for a hug; Al smelt terrible but Edward didn't care because in this moment he was happy that he and Alphonse were alive.

Mina collapsed onto the ground, sitting down while clutching the bloody piece of cloth wrapped around her arm. Ed and Alphonse walked up to her; Alphonse knelt down "Can I see the wound?" he asked, Mina removed her jacket and then the bloody cloth covering her wound; Al clapped his hands together and gently placed his hands over the wound, thinking back to Mai's lessons and his own research, he sealed the wound; stopping the bleeding. "I stopped the bleeding but you should still check with the medical team, just in case."

"Thanks, Al" said Mina

Ed extended his hand out to her, pulling her off the ground and onto her feet "Thanks back there" he said

Alphonse wrapped his arms around Mina, hugging her tightly "Thank you" he said, Mina hugged him back, resting her head on his shoulder.

Armin stood next to Jean, staring blankly at the ground, while Jean sat down on the ground wiping the blood from his face with a wet piece of cloth "The 104th has some fickle luck" he commented "first we evacuate Wall Rose without casualties, then we get suddenly attacked by a Titan horde and now all of us make it from an impromptu expedition…" he looked down at the blood stained cloth "Don't know what the hell was up with those Titans."

Hannes carried Mikasa towards the stretcher, Eren following closely behind, he laid her down gently "Here's something for that cut" said Hannes handing her a piece of cloth, Mikasa placed the cloth on the cut below right eye. Armin walked up to them and knelt beside Eren, placing his hand on Eren's shoulder. A single tear fell from Hannes' eye "You kids…" he said smiling "I'm so glad you made it."

"Erwin!" yelled Hange as the Commander fell to his knees, his body going limp.

"C'mon you bastard, don't go dying on me now!" yelled Levi, his face shared the same look of panic as Hange, he quickly placed himself at Erwin's arm and tried to lift him up "where's the damn medic?" a small group from the medical team raced towards Erwin; they carried him off onto one of the carts.

Injured soldiers were quickly hurried into carts; most had bandages over different parts of their body while others either had to limp over or be carried towards the carts, missing either an arm or a leg.

"Get moving!" yelled the driver "we have to head to Trost, pronto!"

Sasha walked up to Connie and knelt beside him "we made it…" she muttered as she placed her arm around him, comforting him

"C'mon you two" said Jean standing over them "get up." he helped them both off the ground and onto their feet as the group of friends began to huddle together.

Ed and Alphonse walked over to the 104th; Eren looked around watching the carts full of injured soldiers being carried off to the districts and towards Historia who was being tended to by Nanaba. A feeling of immense guilt began to creep up on him as the full weight of the sacrifice made in his and Alphonse name bared down on him. "I got taken again…" he said solemnly "People had to die again because of me…"

"No" injected Alphonse, staring at the ground feeling ashamed "This is my fault; I could have prevented this back at the house…" he thought back to when he had his blade pointed at Reiner _should I have done it?_ "Those men charged into the fray to save me…" Ed placed his hand on Alphonse's shoulder, gripping it reassuringly.

"How many people died?" asked Eren, silently dreading the answer

"There was a bit over a hundred of us, that's including the MPs, in the beginning" Said Hange, as she walked up to them "one fifth of our forces were injured or killed during Ymir's surprise attack and a further thirty percent were killed during the actual rescue and charge towards the Armoured Titan." Hange paused for a second, allowing them to digest the information "About half of our forces made it back and of that half about less than a third got back unharmed; the Scout Regiment lost almost half of our veterans which means, going forward, the bulk of our forces will have to be made up from the fresh recruits of the 104th intake." Both Eren and Alphonse looked mortified at what Hange was saying "Had it not been for Levi, Team one and you, Eren, covering the charge we may have suffered more casualties."

"Are we really worth all these sacrifices?" muttered Alphonse as he held his head in his hand

"The Titans didn't attack us on the way back" Armin mentioned "they all just converged on Reiner; it's like Annie's Titan ability but her scream only lured them towards her, this time it's as if something made them attack that Titan and Reiner… was that you Eren?"

Hange stood a step forward and grabbed Eren's shoulders "Tell. Me. Everything." said asked with child like curiosity in her eyes.

"Eren… you can control the Titans?" asked Edward

"Like the Beast Titan?" added Alphonse, looking up to face them.

"I…I… have no idea" stammered Eren "All I did was punch a Titan in the face…"

"But you were fighting a whole bunch of them before" added Sasha "Why's that Titan different?"

"Listen, Eren, Alphonse, Ed… I know it must be shitty to have the burdens of the world placed on your back but in order to rescue Eren and Alphonse a little more than fifty people died in the process and both the commander and Mikasa were gravely injured; you have to make sure that those sacrifices weren't in vain." declared Jean to the shocked faces of the 104th, as Jean gave a speech reminiscent of Eren during the Training years.

"Erwin's attitude has really been rubbing off on the new recruits" remarked Hange

"Ever since you joined the Scouts, Jean, you've been real preachy, ya know?" added Eren, a small smile on his face

"Well at least I didn't turn into a wavering cry baby" retorted Jean, slightly annoyed

"Yeah, are you really the same guy who wanted to throw in the towel back at Trost?" said Ed with a smirk on his face

"Are you really the same Jean who wanted to join the MPs?" added Sasha

"You really turned all serious and shit, Jean, its kinda weird." Commented Connie

"Still got that villainous look on your face though." Added Armin

"Hey you guys, this is serious." Replied Jean

"Don't worry, we get where you're coming from" said Ed as he bumped his fist onto Jean's arm reassuringly "No matter how difficult things get, no matter how foolish we'll look struggling under the weight of our burdens, we have to keep living…" he said, reciting Riza's words _…for the people you love_ "For the people who gave everything in our name."

"You're right, Jean" declared Eren, much to the surprise of the 104th "We can't hesitate, I can't hesitate; I'll control the Titans and I'll make Reiner and Bertholdt and do my part to make sure the deaths of our comrades help Humanity survival."

"Seal Wall Maria?" asked Edward "if you can control the Titans you could give Humanity the world." He jokingly suggested

"Some people would call you greedy, Ed" remarked Armin

"A guy Al and I knew would say greed is just another form of hope" replied Ed "it should be said he had a warped sense of ethics though."

"Well the guy was the literally called Greed" added Alphonse, smiling as he thought back to the only homunculi they befriended

"Heh, well let's get moving" said Hange "Edward, Alphonse could you get rid of those ramps and-"

"No!" yelled Historia stumbling towards them deliriously "Don't get rid of them… we still need to get..."

"Historia!" yelled Nanaba, reaching out to her

"Hey, you shouldn't exert yourself" stated Sasha, concerned for Historia's well being

"Kris- Historia" Armin corrected himself "Are you-"

"We have to go to Wall Maria…" she said, ignoring Armin

"Historia, you shouldn't be standin-" before Eren could finish his sentence, Historia grabs his shoulders

"Don't worry about me!" she yells, a look of panic on her face "we have to go back for Ymir before she gets taken far away; you can do it, can't you? You can save her!" her head then snapped towards Edward and Alphonse "you two, you can save her too, right? I saw you fight Reiner too, Ed, you both could-" she let go of Eren as she turned to grab onto Ed and Al instead she only collapsed onto her knees.

"Take it easy" advised Nanaba "You're exhausted."

"Historia, we just got back after taking heavy casualties" explained Hange "we don't have the manpower for another expedition nor can we risk the very people we all put our lives on the line to save just a couple minutes ago; I'm sorry but there's nothing we can do for Ymir."

"This may not count for much but Ymir did seem to care about you a lot" said Alphonse as he thought back to Reiner's offer to her about Historia's protection "the reason she joined Reiner and Bertholdt in the beginning was solely because they promised to protect you."

"It was all she could think about, what was best was for you" added Eren "but I can't understand why she would ever run off with them…"

"Even in the end, Ymir was a difficult person to understand…" added Jean

Historia began to weep, tears rolling down her cheeks "How could she? Chose them over me" she cried "she told me we'd live for ourselves… that bitch; I can never forget her…" the last comment caught her friends off guard

"Was she always like this or…" whispered Ed to Connie

"No…" replied Connie

"Krist- Historia? You're not acting like yourself…" said Jean, concerned

Historia began to giggle softly but very quickly she began to laugh uncontrollably "Myself!" she laughed "that good girl Krista, I was never really her; she was just an act I made up to go along with the name they gave me."

* * *

In the large stone hall of the Military HQ in Hermina, the Scout Regiment held a memorial for their comrades who died during the Titan attack inside Wall Rose and the expedition outside into Wall Maria a week after the incident. They were all dressed in their long brown coats; those surviving members of the Southern Division of 104th Scout Regiment who were able to attend were there, many of whom were still covered in bandages, walking on crutches or being pushed on wheelchairs, some were missing an arm and others their legs. The sound of weeping filled the hall as the people held each other looking at a large shrine adorned with the drawn portraits of their loved ones, among the crowd of framed drawings and candles was a beautifully drawin portrait of Mike Zacharias, commissioned by Moblit.

"Your daughter was brave" said Nanaba to the weeping parents "she fought to the end and because of that she saved her comrades." It was the same speech but with different words to tens of families wanting to hear about their child's final moments _Mike was always better at this…_ she thought, thinking back to his last speech, she wondered whether she could live up to his legacy and make sure her comrades all stayed alive under her watch. But now there were family members who needed to be comforted.

"You were there, my son; was he brave?" asked crying mother

"My brother did well, right?" asked the little sister

"My sister helped humanity, didn't she?" asked an older brother

Edward and Alphonse stood with their back against the wall watching as the memorial carried on; Ed watched as a single Scout who looked to be average height with blond and extremely curly hair wept over the portraits of some of his friends while being comforted by Jean.

"Hey, you two." Called Hange, catching their attention

"Oh hey, Hange." replied Edward "How's the Commander?"

"We had to keep him under for little while longer after the surgery "replied Hange "Thanks for the guidance of what kind of equipment we'd need."

"Don't mention it." Edward responded "Though once he awakes you should tell him that the rehabilitation phase is going to be painful."

"I'll keep that in mind" said Hange, before she then walked off over to Levi, Lynne and Gelgar "How's Nanaba holding up?" she asked

"She keeps telling us she's alright but I think with Mike's death and the suddenly becoming Squad Leader, she might just be holding it in." Replied Lynne

"Did they find the body?" asked Hange

"What was left of it…" said Levi grimly "A team found an arm and a mangled torso, it was near the training facility where the 104th rode off from; though they found the horse also, mangled as hell as well like it was thrown at the building."

"So it's likely that hairy Titan did it then?" asked Lynne

"The bastard that led the attack on the castle." Added Gelgar

"Whoever this guy is, we need to take him down and soon." Said Levi

* * *

Levi flicked through the paper work on Erwin's desk; with the Commander still out of action, he took it upon himself to sort through Erwin's paper work and documents. Ever since Wall Rose was secured a week ago a pile of documents and reports continued to fill the desk; Levi took out a report from the folder, Eren and Alphonse's reports, he skim read through the reports detailing the events during their capture, the death of the family and the possible revelation of a civilisation outside the Walls.

He placed the report over to the side and picked up a new folder; the Regiment's budget from the central government and its allies, Levi expected to quickly read through the pages and expected to see the rise in funds after their promised increase from the government and their new merchant supporters.

 _What the hell?_

Funding for the Regiment seemed to have been decreased by the Central government; he lowered the report and picked up one of the letters by one of their merchant supporters, Levi skim read the contents

 _Dear Commander Erwin smith, it is with great sadness that…_

 _To the Honourable Erwin Smith, I deeply regret to inform you…_

 _To the Valliant Commander, I must inform you that I'm withdrawing my support…_

Different words yet they all contained the same message; the Scout Regiment's new allies were withdrawing their support. This wouldn't have been a surprised to Levi; in the past the Regiment's high mortality rate and lack of success had starved them of investment and funding but they'd only recently scored a victory against the Titans by capturing one of their shifters, the introduction of Eren, Edward and Alphonse into their ranks and still retaining the path to Wall Maria; the Regiment was closer to victory than ever before… so why were they suddenly walking away?

Without warning there was a knock on the door, disrupting Levi from his thoughts "Come in." he said, the door gently open allowing Petra to walk into the office; she walked up to the desk and saluted Levi

"At ease, Petra." said Levi "did your family make it into Wall Sina ok?"

"They did, thank you for asking, Captain" replied Petra "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you and the others during the attack, sir."

"Don't be sorry, you were injured" Levi responded "but you're here now and ready to help; that's what's important." Levi places down the budget report, picks up another folder from the side and hands it to Petra "I'm reforming the team; these are the new members of our squad."

Petra briefly read through the profiles of each squad mate "lot of young members, Captain" noticing their ages.

"Fresh out of the Cadet Corps but they've all got combat experience and most were among the top ten of their class" said Levi

Petra closed the folder and looked upon it with a glum expression on her face "I'm sure Gunter and Eld would have tried to joke around and make them feel as welcome as possible and Oluo would have tried to show off his kill count to them whenever he could." She smiled slightly, thinking about her former comrades.

Levi looked off to the side, though he didn't show it, he felt the same way "Yeah…" he then turned to Petra "That reminds me, I'm gonna need a new second in command to help manage these unruly brats; Erwin's not here but I'm sure he'll agree, I'm promoting you to the rank of Lieutenant and from here on out you're my second in command."

Petra looked at Levi, overwhelmed by a feeling of shock and pride at the news, she wanted to cry and go on an entire spiel about how much of an honour it is to be assigned as his 2IC, instead she decided to stand tall and place her clenched fist onto her heart "I won't let you down! She declared with a voice filled with resolve

"You never have" replied Levi "Your first task is to make sure our new squad members get to the former Scout castle, seeing as it's turned into our base of operations, make sure they help tidy up the place."

* * *

"Everyone got a first-hand reminder" said Pixis to Erwin who was still lying down on his bed with a pillow forcing his head up to face the people in the room "If Wall Rose really did fall; they would have at least a week of peace before Mankind turned on itself."

Erwin turned from Pixis and to his right side; beside him were a few mechanical contraptions, a metal tray with surgical tools and a small table right next to his bed where his new metal arm lay.

"Sorry if you feel uncomfortable, Erwin" said Levi "Hange said they had to keep you like that while they continue to work on attaching that prototype."

"That's perfectly fine" replied Erwin "In fact I see it as a great privilege to be the first person to benefit from this."

"We can only hope it gets mass produced and soon" added Pixis

"Hange also mentioned that the rehabilitation is gonna be a shitty process." Said Levi

Erwin glanced at his new arm and smiled slightly before turning back to Levi "It's quite alright" he replied "The pain I'll experience won't be enough to make up for the hundreds of men and women I've sent out to die; consider it a small token for my sins until I can pay back the rest in full when I finally end up in Hell."

"Sounds good" laughed Pixis "Mind if I come with you?"

"What's wrong old man?" asked Levi "Throwing in the towel already? Maybe you need another drink"

"Believe me, I would" said Pixis, slightly annoyed turning to Anka who was standing off to the side "But this one won't let me, treats me like a baby without any of the care."

Erwin laughed lightly "You have an dutiful advisor." He commented

There was a knock on the door "That must be Hange" said Levi "come in."

Hange entered the room along with Connie and Armin "Good to see you're awake, Commander" the three of them lined up before the bed and saluted Erwin. "Good to see you here, Commander Pixis, allow me to introduce you to Armin Arlert and-"

"Connie Springer, 104th Scout Regiment, Sir!" said Connie

"These two came with me to the Ragako, its Connie's hometown; Connie witnessed the incident and Armin came up with the theory about the Titans."

"Good job, you two" complemented Levi

"Thank you, Captain" replied Connie and Armin

"We're here to report about the incident." Said Hange

* * *

Under a clear blue sky, Armin surveyed the small village around him; the village of Ragako was in complete ruins with entire houses either demolished or with gaping holes in them. There were chucks of bricks, planks of wood and broken roof tiles scatter across the ground, the stone paths were cracked by the footsteps of the Titans who came here and entire trees were uprooted from the dirt.

The sound of muffled chatter among the Scouts and the loud bangs of a hammer hitting metal filled his ears as Armin knelt down examining the large hole inside the house; he looked down to see a large footprint, possibly from a seven or eight meter Titan, facing away from the house.

 _Looks as if the Titan was inside the house and then walked out…_ thought Armin _Had someone been in that house during the Titan attack then it's highly unlikely they'd get out and yet there's not a drop of blood anywhere…_

"Found any bodies yet?" asked one of the Scouts

"Nothing so far." Armin replied, Armin go up from the ground and headed towards the sound of the hammer hitting metal; A group of Scouts hammered stakes into the ground with long strains of rope holding the skinny Titan to the ground. Armin observed the Titan lying on the rubble of Connie's house; its head was almost the size of its body and its arms and legs were too skinny to support its body.

"Squad Leader Hange!" called out Connie, holding a picture frame in his hands "this is a drawing of my parents." They noticed Armin walking towards them

"Armin, come take a look at this." Said Hange, waving him towards them; the three huddled together and compared the face of Connie's mother and the Titan lying on top of his house. A chill ran down their spines as their eyes shifted from the picture to the Titan "This is… incredible…." Remarked Hange "Looks like your theory was right, Armin"

Armin didn't thank her, instead he looked towards Connie, who was still staring at his mother; Armin placed his hand on Connie's shoulder "I'm so sorry, Connie…"

"Why are you sorry, Armin?" replied Connie, still staring blankly at his now Titanized mother "You're not the one who transformed my family into Titans, you just tried to tell me the truth" he looked down onto the ground, his face darkening as he turned from the sunlight "Reiner… Ymir… they were trying to convince me it was crazy… they knew about it all…" he gritted his teeth together as his anger began to consume him in that moment "They tricked us, they tried to play us for fools…" both Armin and Hange looked at Connie, concerned for him.

"Remove the nails" ordered Hange to the Scouts

"Are you sure, Squad Leader?" asked the Scout

"I'm sure, that Titan's not going anywhere, just tie it down instead" replied Hange "Thank you, Connie, you can have this back" she said handing the picture frame back to Connie

"Thank you, Squad Leader…" said Connie as he stared wide eyed at his parent's picture "All I have left of my family is this picture… and my mother…" Connie turned to look at his mother once more; he felt tears welling up in his eyes and running down his cheeks "who did this… why? If I find out who did this… I won't let them get away with this."

* * *

"So it's confirmed then" said Levi "The Titans that attacked us were from Ragako."

"Having seen the evidence and adding to that the theory on the Titan's weak spot and why, it's all fairly conclusive." replied Hange "Of course there's still some unanswered question such as how they became Titans."

"Perhaps there's a reason behind why Eren and the other shifters can transform from their Titans while every other Titan can't" added Pixis

"That reminds me, the reports from Eren and Alphonse" said Levi "during their captivity, Alphonse questioned Reiner and Bertholdt on their supposed 'hometown' he believes that their hesitation towards his question could either mean two things; A, there's a civilisation beyond the Walls which has it in for us or B, Humanity might not be far gone as we believed." The room quickly fell silent after the last statement; some looked a Levi in disbelief, Pixis kept a plain expression yet, nonetheless, he too was shocked and Erwin…

 _Why is the Commander…_ thought Armin staring at Erwin

"Hey Erwin-" Levi stopped, catching the expression on Erwin's face; he was smiling to himself. "Hey… what the hell are you smiling for?" questioned Levi

Erwin didn't respond as first; instead he looked a Levi for a second, staring at his disgusted expression, and turned away "Oh, it's nothing…"

"That look on your face makes me want to vomit." Said Levi, somewhat disturbed at Erwin could be smiling after these revelations

"I've been told that numerous times." Replied Erwin

"Is this why you joined the Scout Regiment?" questioned Levi

"Huh?" said Hange

 _Does the Commander have ulterior motives for leading the Scouts?_ Thought Armin

"Knock it off, Levi" said Erwin, slightly irritated "the right side of my body hurts and I'm physically and emotionally exhausted, where's your pity?"

"Well, you are pitiful…" Levi jabbed

"Your Automail, which reminds me" said Hange, she turned to Armin and Connie "You two are dismissed" both Armin and Connie saluted the Officers before leaving the room.

"Oh, you two" said Levi, catching their attention "Hang around Trost for a bit then head to base, leave only when absolutely sure you aren't being followed, Petra will give you new orders from there."

"The company that originally helped my team to design the prototypes has suddenly just stopped and destroyed the other designs; luckily I kept some in my research lab back at the former HQ, one of which you're currently using, sorry for using you as a test subject."

"That's perfectly fine" Erwin replied "But it is odd that they'd drop the research; that merchant wanted their company to be the sole producer of it."

"I suspect there must be foul play involved." Remarked Pixis

"That's not all, I had a look over our budget report and found that our funding has decreased from the Central government and a few letter from our allies in the merchant association withdrawing their support." Added Levi "Looks like someone's trying to pull us back to square one."

"No doubt they'll be after the powers granted to me by Darius next" said Erwin "There's a powerful organisation out there that doesn't want us to find out the truth and after capturing the Female Titan it looks like they're now hoping to hinder us and by the looks of it, it appears they have control over the Central government; we should act quickly if we are to maintain what semblance of power we have within the Walls, where's the Elrics currently?" asked Erwin

"They're still inside Trost; they're staying in the barracks for now" replied Hange "They promised to help run you through some general info on Automail maintenance."

"Good, send them here as soon as possible." ordered Erwin "Also where are Eren Yeager and Historia Reiss? Has she uncovered her secret yet?"

"Not yet, she's still tight lipped about it but she'll talk eventually." Said Levi

"We've got them in a guarded location along with Annie Leonhart" added Hange "we're keeping quiet until things settle down."

"Its better we keep everything discussed here to ourselves" advised Pixis "best not to kick the hornet's nest"

"Indeed, we can't afford to lose; Historia's secret and whatever Intel Annie Leonhart has may offer us insight to the organisation which is trying to undermine us as well as information on the Titans, also we'll need the Elrics and Eren for our mission to recapture Wall Maria" declared Erwin "It's vital that our assets are in a secure location and are well guarded."

"Don't worry about it" said Levi "While you were physically and emotionally exhausted I took the liberty of taking some decisions, namely my squad who'll be guarding our assets' asses; if we're to help Eren reach his full potential and get Leonhart to surrender whatever Intel she has then we'll need to push them into total desperation."

* * *

"Come in" said Levi as he closed the curtains in Erwin's room, blocking out the night sky and any prying eyes; both Edward and Alphonse entered into the room; they lined up along the bed and saluted the Commander.

"At ease, please take a seat" said Erwin, the two moved over to the side and sat down on the sofa to his left "Levi can you help move my arm onto the bed?"As Erwin began to sit up Levi grabbed his Automail right arm and gently placed it on his lap. "Thank you, Levi."

"How's the new arm?" asked Edward

"I'm still getting use to it, it's rather heavy and will need continuous work." Replied Erwin "Elrics, I have a few questions that I'd like you to answer."

"Of course, Commander" replied Alphonse, politely

"Alphonse, I read your report and I must ask, was there anything else you could add? Anything conclusive at all?" asked Erwin, it was small at first but the curiosity and excitement in his voice wasn't hard to pick up on

"When I questioned them they seemed shocked" replied Alphonse "both of them refused to answer my question and insisted that I'd find out anyway about their hometown."

"So some shocked faces, anything else?" asked Levi

"No, that's all I have Captain, sorry" apologised

"So it's all circumstantial then, no hard proof or confession." stated Levi

From the look on Erwin's face it wasn't hard for anyone in the room to tell that Erwin was visibly upset, Erwin face quickly formed to a more blank face expression as he looked up to face them "That's fine… anyway there was another thing I'd like to ask of you two; a while back you mentioned that there was a significant change in leadership back in your world, care to elaborate?"

"There was a coup in our country's leadership; we were run by a military dictatorship which was controlled by the Homunculi, a group with its own insidious agenda, our own head of state at the time was one of them." said Ed "With the help of various groups, Military officers and soldiers and our dad, we were able to beat them during a time known as 'the Promised Day'."Erwin listened intently to Ed.

"It almost went wrong but everyone was able to pull together and carry out their part, we managed to beat them" added Alphonse "the country is still a mainly controlled by the Military however the person currently in charge, Furher Grumman, is a good man and helped in overthrowing the past government and its possible that a man called Colonel Roy Mustang, who Ed was a subordinate of, could assume power afterwards and shift the country towards a democracy."

"Hmm, not bad…" remarked Levi, noticing the parallels between the events of their world and Edward and Alphonse's.

Erwin had noticed it too "Thank you, Elrics" he said, with a sly smile on his face "Now if you don't mind I'd like you to run me through the events of the 'Promised Day', more importantly…"

"What was the first step towards that change?"


	32. Chapter 32: Moving Forward

**Chapter 32: Moving Forward**

"They're back" said the Scout as she peered through her telescope at three individuals, wearing hooded cloaks over their ordinary clothing, riding up to the castle on their horses "Lower the bridge" the three stopped before the entrance as a wooden platform blocking the archway into the castle lowered before them. The platform landed with a soft thud as it hit the ground; the three rode their horses over the bridge, crossing the dried up moat under them. Two Scouts armed with muskets greeted them on the other side of the archway.

"Captain Levi" said one of the guards, a midst the low rumbling of the platform being raised, Levi lowered the hood from his head. Both Edward and Alphonse lowered theirs as they led their horses to the nearby stables. "Squad Leader Hange Zoe and Lieutenant Petra Ral are waiting for you in the mess hall along with her team leaders and the rest of your squad."

"Thank you, soldier" replied Levi "Any sign of suspicious activity around the castle?"

"None so far, sir" replied the Scout "Neither the lookouts or patrols have spotted anything out of the ordinary."

"Good" replied Levi "continue to keep an eye out and if anyone sees anything that is even the least bit weird then don't hesitate to call it in."

"Of course, sir" replied Scout, saluting Levi.

"You're being very careful, Captain" remarked Edward as the three made their way to the mess hall, walking down the long staircase, their footsteps echoing within the long hallway.

"It pays not to be careless on certain things" replied Levi "Like watching your back in case someone wants to put a knife through it."

"Couldn't agree more." Responded Ed as he and Alphonse thought back to the times they were suddenly ambushed on their world. Levi pushed open the door to the hall; at the sight of him his squad stood up from their seats and saluted him, along with the team leaders from Hange squad, while Hange continued to sit down on the chair with her legs crossed and her arms folded. The large hall was dimly lit with only a few lanterns centered at the tables with people near them, pushing the surrounding darkness of the room to the sides.

"At ease, sit down" said Levi as he grabbed a chair and placed it at the end of the table while Ed took a seat next to Connie and Alphonse next to Armin at the other end of the table. Levi rubbed his left hand across the table surface; no sign of dust or dirt as he rubbed his fingers together. He then swept his right hand underneath the table and still found nothing and finally he examined the floor and found not a single track of dirt or any marks on the stone flooring. "Not bad" he remarked "good job, Petra."

"Thank you, sir" she replied with a small, yet proud, smile on her face while the rest of the squad looked down at the table, a look of exhaustion of theirs.

 _She ran us ragged cleaning this place…_ thought Jean

"Alright, so now that we're all here." Said Levi "Lets quickly go over the past two weeks; the Female Titan was captured, the Colossal and Armoured Titans have now been exposed and are now somewhere in Wall Maria, Titans have appeared in Wall Rose and are almost certainly the citizens of Ragako village and the Walls themselves are made of thousands of Colossal Titans and their harden skins and last, but probably not least, someone got it in for the Scout Regiment and has been trying to take a sledgehammer to our knees …" Everyone watched Levi uneasily as he listed off the series of events that an occurred so recently "Of course, not everything has gone to hell; Erwin's got something planned to counter the organisation who's trying to get us.

* * *

In the dead of night, inside Erwin's room, Edward and Alphonse continued to talk about the 'Promised day'; from the different roles everyone had in the coup and what they knew about the Homunculi and their relationship to the Military and government with both Erwin and Levi

"So the head of state of your nation was nothing more than a puppet for a creature known as 'the Father'?" asked Erwin "And there were those within your military's elite who were actively supporting them in their mission?"

"That's right" said Edward as he thought back to that day, his fist striking through the would-be God's frail body "The Military officers involved were arrested and put on trial."

"The homunculus who was your head of state, this Bradley fellow, was he popular among the people?" asked Erwin, he thought back to the King Fritz and the Royal family.

"Yes" replied Alphonse "He had support among the people and the rank and file of the army."

"So how'd you get public support on your side then?" asked Levi

"A team of people had to seize control of the radio station and broadcast our own version of events" said Alphonse. Both Levi and Erwin looked at Alphonse puzzled, it suddenly hit Al that neither of them had nor knew what a radio was "Oh right, a radio is basically a machine that allows you to spread information over large distances; so like messages, news, music." He said trying to example it in the simplest of terms.

"So using this form of mass media, the side you were working with had spread their own message." Clarified Erwin "How ingenious"

"It should be said that the message sent was framed in a way that portrayed our side as the ones protecting the head of state, using his popularity to our advantage." Added Alphonse

"A very underhanded tactic…" commented Levi "I can respect that."

"Commander, why are you asking us about this?" Edward questioned "what are you planning?" Erwin was silent for a few seconds, looking down at his hands

"If you two must know, I believe the situation we face now is not so dissimilar to the one you had experienced" said Erwin "It's been made evidently clear to us that an organisation with far reaching influence and possible roots in the central government is trying to undermine the progress we've made; they've already halted any further research of the Automail prototypes and cut our funding to weaken us."

"So you want our advice on how to throw a coup then" stated Edward, narrowing his eyes at Erwin

"Hopefully it will never come to that…" Erwin replied "I would like to find out why and hopefully be able to come to an understanding with this organisation and the Central government which would allow us to put all our focus towards the reclamation of Wall Maria. But the Scout Regiment cannot achieve that task so long as someone wants to plunge a knife into our backs."

"We understand, Commander" said Alphonse as Ed sighed to himself, disappointed that they'd now have diverted their attention from their main goal.

"First thing we should discuss is gaining public support" said Levi "we don't have these 'radios' and don't think even Erwin's not slick enough to convince the people we're working on behalf of the King if we plan on storming the Central government, so how'd we get the people on side?"

"The info about the Female Titan hasn't been made public, has it?" asked Edward

"No, it's classified, only those in the Central government, Clergy, Military, some nobles and rich merchants investors know of it." replied Erwin, a sly smile formed on his face "but I see where you're going with this."

"We leak the results of the 57th Recon mission and the identity of the Female Titan" said Ed "that's not all; the battle at Stohess, if you could frame it in a way which portrayed it as a fight to repel an attack on the city rather than an ambush gone wrong then you might get praise for it."

"It would also be better if you got the credit for it, Commander." added Alphonse "seeing as you are the Regiment's public face."

"Of course, we still need to find people who are willing to spread the info" said Ed "If what you're saying about this group controlling the government then it's gonna be difficult to hijack the newspapers."

"Don't worry about that" said Levi "I know a few people in the underground who'd love to stick it to the Central government, they'd get the message out."

"You'll also need allies." Said Alphonse

"Commander Pixis is on our side" informed Erwin

"That's good and all but we should be making alliances with other high ranking people in the Garrison too" advised Edward "We could probably get Captains Ian and Hannes on our side."

"Why those two specifically?" asked Levi

"Captain Dietrich is a lot like you, Commander, strong willed and was willing to do anything for Humanity" said Alphonse "Im sure it won't be too hard to explain the situation to him and convince him to join us."

"And Captain Hannes seems to care greatly for Eren, Mikasa and Armin" added Edward "He'll probably do anything to protect them and at least this way we aren't totally relying on Commander Pixis. On the money side of things, we could…" Ed paused for a second as he recalled the rules of a State Alchemist _why do I care, I'm not a State Alchemist anymore…_ "We could transmute gold from coal; enough to offset the losses."

"That could work" said Erwin "Though we shouldn't sell large amounts of it; only enough to supplement our current funding for now, at least until we can change our situation for the better; wouldn't want to raise suspicions."

"Or possibly destroy the economy…" added Alphonse "Alchemists in Amestris weren't allowed to make gold"

"But you aren't in Amestris" stated Levi "Their rules don't apply and what we're doing isn't going to make the Central government happy anyways, though that being said we still need to find buyers."

"I believe Gelgar may know some people" said Erwin "I'll arrange it with him in due time."

"Was that all, Commander?" asked Alphonse

"For the time being…" replied Erwin with a small smile on his face "Thank you, Elrics, I'll be sure to heed your advice."

* * *

"Of course, our primary goal is still the recovery of Wall Maria and sealing that hole in Shiganshina" Levi continued "so long as we can achieve that then everything else might as well be trivial; from people suddenly transforming into Titans, some Titan with a hairy ass flinging rocks at us to Titan popping up inside Wall Rose. So going forward, everyone needs to be clear what their roles will be, so any suggestions?" Armin raised his hand "Yes, Armin?" asked Levi

"In terms of our roles during the recovery of Wall Maria, I think that the job of sealing the hole in Shiganshina should go to Edward and Alphonse" suggested Armin "The way they could seal the hole is through filling the gap with the earth and, seeing as the Walls are made of harden Titan skin, they could then overlay the sides by covering the Wall over it." Both Ed and Al listened to Armin's idea; it was a solid suggestion and it wouldn't take them that long to accomplish it. Eren sat waiting for what his friend had planned for him "Of course Eren shouldn't just hang back and do nothing; his role should be instead to act as our counter against Reiner or the Beast Titan when we face them in combat and should, for whatever reason, Ed and Al not succeed on their end then it's possible his own hardening abilities could seal up the hole instead." Armin paused momentarily, allowing his idea to linger in everyone's mind "Adding to that, the recovery route gives us a clear path towards Wall Maria and provides us with an already existing supply chain, should we need it, which means we won't have to bring any wagons with us; we would hopefully reach Shiganshina in possibly one night, meaning that the operation to recapture Wall Maria would take…"

"Less than a day to accomplish…"

Everyone listened, most were astonished at the claim Armin was making; that an operation which was four years in the making could be done in less than twenty four hours.

"It sounds like a good suggestion" commented Petra "At least this way we're not putting all our eggs into one basket"

"Though are you three up to it?" Levi asked.

"Yes, sir" replied Eren and Alphonse

"No need to ask, consider that hole in the wall gone." Said Ed

"Good, now on to the experiments; Hange, Armin from what I've heard you two want the Elrics to teach you some of their Alchemy, yes?"

"Yes, sir." Replied Armin

"Yes…" said Hange, somewhat reservedly

"And which one of you is going to teach them?" asked Levi, looking at Ed and Al

"I can do that, Captain." Replied Alphonse

"However…" said Hange, catching their attention "while I know that the situation we're in is perilous; currently the Garrison are now spread thin patrolling the Walls after the recent incident inside Wall Rose, leaving cities unable to maintain order within the cities. I want things to improve rapidly, I want to test out Eren's Titan powers and not just his hardening abilities and I want to learn more about Alchemy, not for our benefit but because it will be key to ushering in a new era of progress… I don't want to waste any time, I want to get started as soon as possible, but until we can enact Erwin's plans to cover us… Its best we just lay low for the time being." The members of Levi squad, Edward and Alphonse both looked at Hange both dismayed and astonished "Look it won't be a long wait" said Hange trying to reassure them "At least until Abel can give the Intel to the underground journalists." They turned their heads looking towards the Team leader wearing the goggles.

"That could take days" argued Armin

"Hange is there something you'd like to tell us?" asked Levi "From the moment I saw you it'd looked like something was bothering you, like you were holding in a shit; why don't you relieve yourself and tell us?"

"Minister Nick is dead…" she said remorsefully "he was found inside the Trost barracks this morning…" both Ed's and Alphonse's stomach dropped at the news "Moblit and I only got to look at him for a few seconds but it looked as though he was beaten and his finger nails were pulled clean off; he was tortured and then killed."

"This morning…" said Alphonse, his voice shaking slightly "but we were there not that long ago… we should have heard something!"

"They've must have done it when the barracks we're clear" said Hange "likely just when you two left to meet with Erwin at night."

Ed lowered his head into his hands, squeezing his temples "Son of a bitch…" he muttered, frustrated that something like that could happen right under their noses.

"The MPs investigating the scene, they were from the Interior first squad, one of them had done it; his hands were stripped of skin… he's the likely culprit." Said Hange, as she looked at the ground "I thought the church would come after him, that's why I hid him in the barracks, but I never expected they'd use soldiers… I was foolish; Nick's death is on me."

"They must have tortured him to find out how much he'd told us." Said Armin

"Likely checking if their little secret about the Reiss family and the church got out and where the four of you are hiding." He said looking at Eren and Historia and then to Edward and Alphonse.

"We've informed both Commanders Erwin and Pixis, our other allies in the Garrison and the entire Scout Regiment about this" said Moblit "so for the time being it's us who are watching them, though that's not to say that would hold them off, it's entirely possible that they'll just change tactics and, considering the location, it wouldn't be too hard for them to find us."

"I'm assuming the reason why you want to hold off on the experiments for now and wait for the leaks is to force the Interior MPs into a corner" said Levi

"That's right" Hange replied "once the information is out and the public are, hopefully, planted with the idea of a conspiracy in their minds then neither the First Interior squad nor the Central government would act against us without risking a backlash and if they do, all we'd need to do is announce their attack and confirm the public's worst fears; that those in power do not wish to see Humanity progress."

"But don't we risk creating a split between people if we do this?" asked Jean "if they decide to make a counter claim then it will be our word against theirs; we're forcing people to pick sides.

"I understand, Jean" replied Hange, sympathetic to his concern "but this organisation we face may already have drawn a line in the dirt dividing the Military."

"We're already at a crisis point, I don't think us adding a bit more is what sends Humanity over the edge." Added Armin

"So what would you have us do until then, Hange?" questioned Levi "Sit around drinking tea all day?" referring back to Hange's decision on lying low until they could leak the information to the public.

"I'm with the Captain on this, Hange" said Ed "I don't know about you guys but I get antsy when I'm just doing nothing."

"Well if you need something to do then I would recommend knitting." Replied Hange with a hint of sarcasm "Just for now, please…"

"Hange, do you truly believe that the people who have it in for us are going to stay in the corner once we put them there?" Levi questioned "They have connections to the Church, the Central government, the Interior MPs and have probably got the kind of resources to plug up Wall Maria and then build another wall for shits and giggles; every day we spend doing nothing is a day they've spent sharpening their knives and looking for an opening into our backs. It wouldn't take a genius to realise this fortified castle is where we're holding our greatest assets and once they've come up with their bullshit excuse, they'll be the ones to turn the tables and corner us like rats." Hange sighed then looked to the ground once more "You're usually more clearheaded but the guilt of Nick's death is making you fearful…How many of his finger nails were pulled off?" asked Levi

"Huh?" said Hange, a bit confused by the morbid question "I… I only saw him for a moment but it looked as though all of them were taken off…"

"I see; if someone was going to give up their secret then they'd have done it after the first one, if not then it wouldn't of matter how many they'd taken off." Said Levi "that preacher may have been an idiot but it appeared he really had conviction in his beliefs…" Levi then turned towards Historia in front of him "So Historia, seeing as how Nick sacrificed himself to protect us, are you still gonna keep quiet about that secret?" he asked, it was clear he was trying to guilt trip her. Historia looked down onto the table and away from everyone's gazes; she held her hands together and then let out a deep sigh "Remember, you also made a deal with Erwin." Levi reminded her

"Minister Nick told me that the Reiss family… we're the true royal bloodline."

A few hours had passed since the large group meeting with Hange squad about the future and the revelation of Historia's heritage. But there were still meetings to attend, this time between new members of Levi squad, specifically the 104th, and their Captain.

"Here" said Levi as he lowered a piece of paper onto the table in front of them "visitation lists, I'm allowing you all you see Annie Leonhart and get the chance to speak to her" he announced, to their shock and confusion "If you can I'd like you to try get her to talk; see if we can't get any important information from her, if not then Hange and I will resort back to our 'previous methods'." He said, adding emphasis on the last two words.

Levi looked around the table trying to gauge their reactions, his eyes quickly caught onto a certain new member; their head lowered slightly and their eyes on the table, it was almost as if they were trying to hide their disapproval of Annie's torture and their despair for her predicament.

 _Gotcha…_ he thought "So Eren, Mikasa, Sasha and Connie you four opted out, are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yes, Captain" the four said

For Mikasa there was nothing she could really say to Annie; she was just glad that the person who helped destroy her home and tried to kidnap the only family she had left was rotting underground.

A part of Eren wanted to confront Annie again and demand that she tell him why she'd help push Humanity to the edge, why'd she, Bertholdt and Reiner betray them, why'd she help destroy his home and kill his mother. But he knew Annie wouldn't budge and he had said all that he needed to say towards the main culprit of his mother's death.

As for Connie and Sasha, Bertholdt cries and pleading told them what they needed to know and they couldn't come face to face with Annie again, at least not now, they wanted some time to recover.

"Alright then, the list goes as follow; Armin Arlert, Jean Kirstein and then…

"Mina Carolina"

* * *

"Hope you don't mind that I promoted Petra to the rank of Lieutenant" said Levi, staring at the outside with his arm resting on the window sill, the warm orange rays of the morning sunlight flooded the room. Levi wanted to run Erwin through his and Hange's plan before he would soon leave for the castle with Edward and Alphonse.

"Not at all" replied Erwin, still lying in bed as he looked through the profiles "she's a skilled soldier and this should be a good opportunity for her to gain leadership experience; perhaps one day she'll make an excellent Squad Leader." He then looked upwards towards Levi "So these are the new replacements for your squad?" asked Erwin as he looked over the new additions to the Special Operations squad, all of them were from the 104th Scout Regiment.

"They all have combat experience and a few Titan kills under their belt" said Levi

"While I do understand why you've added most of these new additions, seeing as the majority of them are among the top ten of their class and Alert has proven himself to valued strategist; I wonder why you chose to include her, Mina Carolina." Said Erwin, as he read her profile "three kills, two solos and one assist, and her grades in the Cadet Corps shows constant improvement; she a promising soldier but not what'd I'd expect for our most elite squad."

"You're right" said Levi, he then looked back to Erwin "but I didn't pick her because she's another Mikasa Ackerman; it's part of our strategy to get Leonhart to talk and the best way to do that is through, whom I was told is, the person closest to her." Levi left the window and then walked up towards wall, turning around to face Erwin with his back leaning against the wall. "What I intend to do is force Leonhart to see her crimes then offer her an out."

"It's quite the gamble you're taking" commented Erwin

"Gambling is all we've ever done." Levi replied

* * *

"Knock, Knock" said Levi as he tapped the top of Annie's head with his knuckles, waking Annie from her slumber. She looked upwards towards Levi and glared at him; if looks could kill then Levi would have dead ten times over "You look like you want to kill me" Levi remarked as he took a few steps back and looked down on her.

 _Don't worry, I'm will_ thought Annie "Here to torture me again?" Annie spat "I'm not telling you anything, shrimp" Levi watched her almost disinterested in what she had to say.

"We ousted your comrades, Reiner and Bertholdt" said Levi in very calm manner, Annie felt her the pit of her stomach drop as a feeling of dread crept up on her "they tried to capture Eren and Alphonse and make a break for Shiganshina, at least I'm assuming that's where they'd go, until we caught them and left them empty handed." Levi observed her reaction "I even stabbed that very tall brat in the back; he'll stay away if he knew what was good for him."

"You bastard" growled Annie, letting the mask of her callous nature slip a little, Levi took notice.

"Last time I saw them those two, they were getting munched on by Titans" said Levi "swarmed, I doubt they even made it" Levi lied, he knew that Ymir had gone to save them "Even if they managed to miraculously survive we could always get Eren to send another horde their way again."

 _That's right… Eren's the coordinate_ thought Annie _but how did he manage to-_ Levi then grabbed her hair and pulled it forward, he knelt down and looked her in the eyes

"How does it feel?" he asked "to know that you're stuck here, that your comrades aren't going to save you and even if they were would likely end up where you are."

"Bullshit." Said Annie, angrily

"Two times… two times I could have killed Bertholdt but didn't get to; first time I wanted to savour the moment when I plunged my blade into his heart and ended up waiting too long and the second time I was in a hurry and missed. But trust me when I say this… I don't intend to miss a third time" threaten Levi, his voice still strangely calm "And Reiner? Turns out Edward and Alphonse can break his armour and once that's was gone he's just another Titan Eren can pummel into the dirt or we can cut out from the nape." The feeling of dread that was creeping up on her had now completely taken over as Levi revealed Reiner and Bertholdt's defeat.

 _Am I going to be stuck here?_ The terrible thought passed through Annie's mind

"You haven't won yet and you're not going to" she responded "and why should I believe anything you say?" with his free had Levi reached into his pocket and took out what looked to be a smooth cream coloured rock

"You know what this is?" he asked, nonchalantly "A piece of the Armoured Titan's plating that got shatter into pieces; they're not coming to save you because there is no scenario where they could possibly succeed." Levi let go of her hair, Annie's head slumped down as she faced the cold stone ground. Annie shut her eyes tightly, trying to hold back her tears and not show vulnerability to her captor.

 _No… I can't be stuck here…_ she thought _I promised him…Dad…_

"Do you understand?" asked Levi " **No one's coming to save you…"** Levi turned away; he left the cell and returned to the floor above, leaving Annie alone in the darkness with her father's words echoing in her head.

 _I don't care if you make the entire world your enemy…_

The door to the basement opened once more and the sound of footsteps on the wooden stairs echoing across the hallway and cells caught her attention; she looked upwards to see Armin opening the door to her cell.

"Hey…Annie." Said Armin, his voice was soft yet it wasn't hard to pick up on the sadness

"Armin…" she replied, Annie sighed "I'm guessing you knew the whole time?" Armin nodded "I didn't throw you off, did I…" she asked, Armin shook his head, confirming her statement.

"Annie… when you asked me whether I had the guts to die, you were trying to dissuade Connie and I from joining and you even tried to convince Mina to join the Garrison" said Armin "You didn't want us to join the Scouts because you didn't want to be put in a position where you'd have to kill us… You didn't kill me during the expedition." Annie didn't respond to Armin yet her silence told Armin what he needed to know "You really did care about us, huh?"

"Armin…"she said "Did you think I was a good person?"

"I never liked that phrase…" Armin replied as his eyes wondered towards the side "That's just what someone calls a person when they act in a way which benefits them; it's impossible for someone to act in ways which benefit everyone and no matter what you do you'll always be a 'bad person' to someone else…" Armin's eyes turned back to Annie; he lowered his head, the long fringes of his blond hair covering his eyes "But I guess with that being said… you helped destroy my home, inadvertently forced my grandfather to his death and you seem determined to push Humanity off the edge and all for your own reasons… to me, you are a bad person." After that, Armin left Annie; once more she was left alone with only her father's words to comfort her.

 _Even if every other creature alive comes to hate you…_

"Hey!" came a voice in front of her, followed by the sound of someone slamming their fist onto one of the iron bars, Annie looked up to see Jean; the metal bars of her cell separating the two. The look on his face said it all; he was furious "Armin told me, he told all of us, you had Marco's gear during the inspection…you took it from him… what the hell happened in Trost that day? What exactly were you thinking when left him to die?" his voice shaking as he finished his question.

 _ANNIE? PLEASE STOP!_ Even now she could hear Marco's cries _WHY? WHY? WHY?_ He cried

"I…I didn't want to do it…" Annie replied in a usual reserved tone, trying to hold the grief at bay "I had to…"

"Had to?" questioned Jean "What do you mean?"

"He found out about Reiner and Bertholdt, he overheard them talking" Annie confessed "When I got there Reiner had him pin down."

"They were in on it too then." Said Jean, the look on his face expressed anger yet his voice sounded sad

"We didn't want to do it…" she confessed, her voice shaking slightly "we cared about Marco too…"

"Bullshit!" yelled Jean, unleashing all the anger that had built up after he found out "Don't you dare say you cared about him when you three were the ones who killed him!" he took a few steps back from the bars, his back hitting the wall as he slid down onto the floor in a sitting position. "Marco... he… all he ever did was think about other people… he was our friend, he was my friend." Jean didn't notice it but he began to weep over the memory of Marco "we had to burn his body because of you three…"

"I'm… sorry" Annie replied as she softly cried; tear drops hitting the cold stone floor, unable to hold back the feeling of despair and guilt over Marco's death that she kept bottled.

"Sorry?" Jean asked as he tried to wipe away the tears "You… neither of you three get to be sorry… not after what you've done…" Jean picked himself off the ground, still wiping away at the tears and snot running down his face; he didn't care if in that moment he looked like a fool. He wanted Marco back. Jean slowly climbed the stairs and shut the door to the castle's underground, once again leaving Annie alone with her thoughts, the words of her father and her guilt.

… _Will always be on your side…_

Annie, once more, heard the sound of her cell door opening; she looked upwards to see the face of her next visitor… the next person to pass judgement on her.

"Mina…" she whispered softly; her friend of three years, the one who stuck with her during the Training Corps and always had nothing but a smile with bright eyes for her and kind words. This time she said nothing… she couldn't even look at her. Annie wondered what she was going to say to her; was she going to tell her how betrayed she felt, was she going to remind Annie of everything she's done or was she going to outright condemn her. Annie looked away from her just as Mina opened her eyes to look at her "Are you here to yell at me, going to ask me why I did it…" Annie once more felt tears welling in her eyes "going to tell me that you hate me, that I'm a monster who's responsible for so many people being killed… because I know that and I don't need someone telling me this-" Mina quickly fell to her knees, wrapped her arms around Annie and hugged her tightly.

"I could never hate you" Mina replied as she held as she cried her own tears onto Annie's shoulder "You're my best friend, I love you, Annie." Annie didn't know what to say; instead she simply rested her head on Mina's shoulder and buried her face into her neck as Mina continued to embrace her. "No matter what, Annie, I'll help you." Mina promised "I'll always be by your side."

* * *

Under the small yellow flame of candle light, Alphonse sat at the table near the entrance to the dungeon as he waited for Mina to open the door; he thought back to the moment before she left and the guilt he was still feeling since their conversation

" _I'm sorry I kept it from you" he said "If you're angry at me then I understand"_

" _I'm not angry at you; I know why you couldn't tell me." Mina reassured him, she stared anxiously at the wooden door, trying to build up her courage, she turned her head to face Alphonse "Al… could you wait of me here, when I get back?"_

He looked over to the side, a small pile of notes about the basics of Alchemy next to him for Armin and Hange to read before their first lesson along with some examples of different alchemists from Alex Louis Armstrong to Roy Mustang. The door to the underground creaked open and Mina slowly walked out; they both looked at each other for a second, Mina rubbed at her now puffy red eyes, Alphonse got up from his seat, walked over to her and gently hugged her "Thanks for waiting" said Mina

"Are you ok?" asked Alphonse

"Yeah, I'm fine" she replied, she moved back slightly, her arms were now loosely at Al's sides, and tilted her head up slightly to face Alphonse again; the two stared at each other for a few seconds. She slowly moved her head towards his.

"Hey Al!" yelled Ed, from the far side of the hall, catching their attention "I need to talk with you for a moment."

Mina lay in her bed, inside the large room she shared with Mikasa and Sasha, the faded yellow rays of the setting sun passed through the window covering her. It had only been a couple minutes since her meeting with Annie and her almost moment with Alphonse. She went over the moment again in her head _should I have done that?_ she thought _would he have-_

"Hey" called a voice from the door, she moved upwards to see Captain Levi by the door, looking at her with his usual apathetic look; she quickly got off her bed and saluted him, the two looking eye level at each other. "Connie's done with his shift; put on your coat, he's hand you the rifle at the main entrance

"Yes, Captain." replied Mina, Levi then walked away from the door and down the dimly lit hallway. Mina took out a folded grey coat from the chest next to her bed and put it on; she walked down the hallway, past the other rooms, she then noticed the sound of low and muffled talking behind one of the door, she instantly remembered whose room it was. Curious she slowly walked towards the door and pressed her ear onto it, the voices inside becoming slightly clearer, enough to make out people inside; the voices were from Edward and Alphonse, despite their attempt to keep their conservation private under a low whisper, it was clear that emotions were running high.

"You know I'm right" was what Mina could make out from Ed, a slight growl in his voice

"It's not like that." Said Alphonse "she's my friend"

"We're friends with a lot of people here but nothing like you and her." Ed accused "I'm not an idiot, Al" Mina could make out what sounded to be a sigh from Alphonse "You know we have to head back home, sooner rather than later. Back to Amestris" Ed voice now sounded a lot softer "back to Winry, Grandma, and teacher… and Mai…" Mina's instantly felt a slight pang of guilt hearing that name again "and everyone else, along with all the people we're gonna bring back too; it gonna hurt when we'll have to say goodbye to everyone here, I just don't want it to hurt even more for you if you were to get into something like that." Mina sighed gently through her nose whilst staring at the ground as she thought over what Ed had said.

 _He's right…_ she thought

"I guess you're right, brother…" Alphonse conceded, Mina lifted her head from the door and quietly walked down the hallway, a feeling of disappointment and sadness hanging over her.

* * *

"Alright, now try it." said Alphonse as he handed them a mug, filled less than halfway, and of what looked to be a smoking hot brown colored liquid. A small group consisting of the new recruits of Levi squad and the Elrics all huddled together in the castle's kitchen as they prepared their dinner.

"What is it?" asks Armin as he stared at his hazel coloured reflection

"Smells burnt" said Sasha as she raised the mug to her nose

"Its coffee" Alphonse replied with a smile "I transmuted some beans we had to make it though it might not be perfect; I'm a little rusty when it comes to bio alchemy and we didn't have any sugar around." He said rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm sure you did great, Al" Ed reassured him "Haven't had coffee in a while" he said, raising the mug to his lips. The rest followed Ed's example as they experienced the hot beverage for the first time.

"Eren, make sure you blow on it before drinking." said Mikasa "you don't want to burn your tongue."

"Yes, Mikasa" replied Eren, in a very calm manner

"Tastes kind of bitter" commented Connie, swirling the remaining contents around in the mug

"It's actually pretty nice." Said Armin

"More please" asked Sasha, holding the mug out to Alphonse

"You shouldn't drink too much" Alphonse advised "You'll end up having trouble sleeping, this was really only meant to be a small taster." Sasha pulled the mug back, a disappointed expression on her face. "Hey… where's Mina?" he asked

"She's still on guard duty" said Jean, as he took another swing from his mug "Sasha was supposed to go up but Mina insisted on doing her shift."

"I guess she just wants to be alone for a while." added Sasha "I just hope she's ok."

Alphonse looked over to the side, a single untouched mug sat on the counter "I'll go check on her" he said as he took hold of the handle "You guys carry on cooking." Alphonse walked over to the door, leaving the group to their task.

Ed watched as the door closed in front of him, he let out a soft sigh _I hope you know what you're doing, Al_ he thought as he placed the mug down. He turned his head towards the kitchen counter and caught Sasha refilling her mug; the two stared at each other briefly as Sasha tried to think of an excuse. Ed smiled at her softly "Go on then, I won't tell" he said "just don't drink too much." He knelt down onto the ground and opened up one of the cabinets, taking out a small brown package "Oh guys" he said, getting their attention "I thought you'd all like this" he unwrapped the packaging to reveal a chunk of salted meat.

"Meat!" exclaimed Sasha, also choking on her large gulp of coffee

"Meat, haven't had that in a while." Smiled Armin

"Where'd you get that?" asked Jean

"A woman from Trost gave it to me as a thank you for repairing her house" Ed replied "she said she found it a wooden chest near her house." Eren, Connie and Sasha both gasped

"Wait, what?" yelled Sasha, to Ed's confusion

"Holy shit, it the meat you stole from Officer's pantry, Sasha!" yelled Connie as a huge grin quickly formed on his face. With an almost Levi like speed, Sasha placed her mug down on the counter and took hold of the chunk of meat

"We should cook this" said Connie "celebrate becoming a part of Levi squad." Ed admired the smile on Connie's face for a second; he felt concerned about him, losing his family and home as well as the betrayal of his closest friends must have taken a heavy toll on him. And, of course, there was that rushing revelation that from Edward and Alphonse not so long ago.

"Knock yourself out" Ed laughed, both Connie and Sasha cheered as they took to preparing it. Ed then felt gently bump into him, he turned his head to see Eren standing next to him "How's Connie been?" he asked, whispering to Eren

"Before you and Al got here, he was talking about killing the Beast Titan" said Eren, solemnly "the look on his face… it was almost like…me." There was a few seconds of silence between them.

"After the meeting, Connie asked Al and I if we could add his family and village to the list of people to bring back." Said Edward "we had to tell him we couldn't, that the demand would only work in one world and couldn't be split." _The Truth is always in the details…_ Ed thought as he looked back on the day they agreed to the job and the Truth then spelling out further details. _You never make this easy, do you?_

* * *

Inside one of the towers of the castle, Mina sat upon window sill staring at a cloudless night sky littered with bright white stars. The inside of the tower was mostly dark, save for a few lit candles resting on the table where the rifle lay. Suddenly a knock on the door, Mina slid off the window sill and opened the door; on the other side stood Alphonse, holding a mug in one hand and a lantern in the other. The light from the lantern bathe Alphonse in a warm orange glow to match his even warmer smile.

"Hey, Al" smiled Mina as she let Alphonse through, he placed the lantern down onto the table and handed her the mug "thank you" said Mina as she looking into the mug's contents; it was hot and smelled as if it had been roasted "what is it?"

"Its coffee" Alphonse replied "A drink I had back in my home; I made some and gave it the others to try, since you guys never had it before." Mina took a sip from the mug, a look of discomfort consorted her face slightly as the hot beverage hit her tongue "Don't like it?" he asked, Mina nodded her head, she handed Alphonse the mug back.

"Sorry" she said with a guilty look on her face "tastes bitter"

"Don't worry" said Alphonse, smiling "I always preferred tea." The two then sat down on the window sill, looking out into the surrounding area

"Hey, Alphonse" said Mina "Thanks for saving back then; in Trost and at the castle."

"I should be the one thanking you." giggled Alphonse "that makes it two times you came to my rescue; I guess that makes us even." The two laughed softly

 _Is this how it's going to be?_ She thought _constantly risking our lives for each other?_

"I'm glad I met you" said Alphonse "You're an amazing person and a good friend."

 _Friend…_ the word lingering in her mind

"Thank you, Al" she said, smiling at him "you too."

* * *

Hey everyone, sorry this took so long; I had some trouble writing this chapter's more emotional moments because I was never sure if I had executed it well enough, even now a part of me is a bit unsure if it's good enough. On top of that I had to start prepping on how to drive and I was also burnt out for a few days. But I want to get onto the next chapter.


	33. Chapter 33: Day and Night

**Chapter 33: Day and Night**

"Disgusting" remarked Abel as his stepped into a murky puddle of water, he lifted his boot from the dirty puddle and shook his foot a few times before continuing on his way.

As he walked along the large path he carefully observed his surroundings and the people; with right hand resting on his hand-cannon while pulling up the hood of his cloak before then resting his hand onto the small bag at his side. The underground was a dark place, both figuratively and literally; only the bottom of this colossal sized cavern was illuminated with any proper light while the very top was barely visible from the darkness. The houses were all clustered together with shanty houses wedged in between small alleyways and along the large path he was walking there must have been tens of people either sitting or lying in the muck covered ground; all of whom looked half dead, like they had given up on life and were now just waiting to die.

Abel pulled out a piece of paper from his side; its contents contained the address of a group of journalists who could spread the classified information. He passed under a dark narrow tunnel, the smell of urine was thick in the air and the path was overflowing with sewage.

 _Now I know why Captain Levi is a clean freak_ he thought to himself.

He arrived at the address; it was a small house built on top another house with a set of stairs leading to the door, Abel walked up to the door.

' _When you knock, repeat this pattern'_ he recalled Levi telling him, Abel knocked on the door. The door opened slightly to reveal a bald, scruffy looking man with a large build standing on the other side, carrying a large butcher's cleaver.

"What do you want?" the man asked with a gruff voice.

' _When they open the door, tell them I sent you and that I'd like them to help us throw some shit at the Royal government' Levi told him 'I know these guys from a while back, did business with them from time to time.'_

"Captain Levi sent me" replied Abel, his right hand still holding onto the hand-cannon by his side "he said you could help us 'throw some shit' at the Royal government."

"Levi huh…" the guy replied, he then gently pulled the door open, allowing Abel walked inside; in the main room were a few more people, two women and another man, all of whom looked more well kept then the large guy at the door. All of them looked tense at first but then they quickly took their seats and began shuffling some papers. The place was cramped with stacks of paper piled around the walls and tables not to mention the air inside was stuffy, more so than in the underground.

"Yeah, that sounds like Levi alright…" commented one of the women among them who were currently sorting through what looked to be a small stack of sketches. She was about average height, dark hair and brown eyes on a round face "as eloquent as ever."

"I thought he'd of kicked the bucket after deciding to stay in the scouts" said the guy next to her; he was tall, though not as tall as the guy at the door, medium build and greenish eyes and strawberry blond hair on a broad face.

"Where are your manners?" said the other women standing over them; she was short, about Nifa's height, slender build, light brown hair with white patches and hazel eyes on a long face and, while the rest seemed to be in their mid thirties, she looked to be in her fifties. "Our artist's name is Agatha, the pretty guy is Isaac our editor, the large man at the door is Louis" she held out her hand towards Abel "and finally, my name's Oda, I run the place."

Abel shook her hand and introduced himself "Abel, I'm a team leader in fourth squad and a subordinate of Squad leader Hange Zoe"

"Nice to meet you, Abel" Oda replied "please, take a seat." The two sat down sat on opposite ends of a table.

"So why does the Scout regiment need our help?" she asked

"We need you to leak some information to the public" Abel stated

"What kind of information?" asked Oda, curiously.

"Some of it is the classified kind" Abel replied, catching her interest, he then handed her one of the folders from his bag; Oda opened the folder and quickly skim read its contents "results of the 57th expedition and the identity of a captured enemy shifter, which only those at the top know about, and a report from the battle of Stohess showing that the Scout regiment managed to counter an enemy attack on the district." The report about the battle of Stohess was, of course, a fabrication but 'failed ambush' didn't paint them in a good light.

"And the rest?" she asked, her eyes looking towards him

"Evidence that after our recent successes, the Royal government is trying to undermine the scout regiment." He said "Also the sudden end of any further development on automail; a new type of tech which could replace lost limbs." He handed her another folder from his bag, she flicked through its contents and almost immediately her eyes fell upon a rough copy of the blue prints for an automail arm.

"Interesting" Oda whispered to herself, she placed the folder down onto the table and looked up to Abel "It doesn't take a genius to realise what you guys are trying to do; get the masses on your side so that the Royal government thinks twice before they even breath in your direction, yes?"

"Something like that." Abel replied

"You know… this could end badly." she warned "Not everyone's going to buy into your story; you might just end up pitting people against each other and with the situation as it is, adding more wood to this burning building we call home could be what finally tips it over to the point of no return."

"And if we do nothing?" questioned Abel "If we don't reclaim wall Maria, if we don't defeat the Titans before they decide to break the Walls down again and if mankind is denied the tools of its progress then how long will it all last?" Oda sat silently listening to Abel "we're all fully aware of the possible consequences of what we're doing but sitting back and doing nothing won't help humanity."

A sly smile formed on Oda's lips "That's what I like to hear" she replied "I'll see it that this information to the people in the other districts."

"So Abel… Let's throw some shit at the Royal government."

* * *

On the surface, miles away from the capital, the sun had yet to rise from the horizon; the sound of birds chirping and the rustling of trees filled an almost silent landscape, Levi stood by an open window watching the trees swaying in the morning breeze.

"Captain" came a voice from his side, he gently turned his head to see Petra; she was dressed in plain clothing and stood saluting him "rest of the squad is up and in the mess hall, sir."

"Thank you, Petra" replied Levi; he walked past her and towards the mess hall, the sound of his footsteps. He walked down the staircase and came up to the door and as he was about to push the door open, the sound of laughter and talking stopped him; he stood there for a moment and listened to them.

"How can you not like milk?" asked Sasha as she poured some from the large metal canteen into her wooden cup; Ed watched, trying not to gag, as she took absurdly large gulps from her cup.

"I just don't" Ed replied looking away, he had a sickly feeling overcoming him "never liked the stuff."

"You'd use to throw a fit whenever people made you drink it." Alphonse mentioned, smiling at him; Ed glared at him in return.

"Well I love the stuff" declared Sasha as she placed her cup down

"I'm pretty sure you love just about anything that's edible." Commented Jean as he tore off a loaf of bread.

"Hmph" was all Sasha had replied to Jean's comment as she lifted up the metal canteen once more

"Sasha… how many cups have you had already?" asked Armin

"… less than five…" she replied, after some hesitation, with an uneasy smile on her face

"What the hell, Sasha!" yelled Jean

"Sasha, you shouldn't drink that much." said Mikasa

"Don't you know how much milk costs?" questioned Eren, soon enough the conversation turned into bickering. Levi sighed softly to himself as he pushed the door open.

"Hey" he said, raising his voice slightly; they all turned to see him standing at the entrance to the kitchen and immediately they all saluted him "Don't you know how early it is? The night patrol is still sleeping; where's your consideration for your comrades?"

"Sir!" they responded, he observed them and looked upon the tense looks on their faces, well almost all of them; Ed and Mikasa still had a relaxed expression on their faces and Mina, she wasn't in the room.

"Where's Mina?" he asked

"Mina's in the basement" replied Jean "she's gone to give Annie some food, sir." A few seconds of silence passed.

"Once you're done collect your gear and start cleaning it, most of you will be training with Petra later." Levi told them. "Edward, some our engineers want to see you and Alphonse, you're teaching Hange and Armin, are we all clear?"

"Yes sir!" they replied. Levi shut the door and walked away from his squad. He once again traversed the large castle until he came up to Hange's study. On the other side of the door the sound of pen frantically writing on paper could be heard, he knocked on the door.

"Come in" said Hange, her voice slightly muffled. Levi opened the door; he saw Hange sitting down at her desk, copying off notes from a few sheets of paper and a mug of something that smelt burnt "good morning, Levi" she said, a large smile on her face.

"It's pretty early in the morning to be this chipper" he said, as he entered the room and closed the door behind him

"Well this 'coffee' sure does wonders" she said, lifting the mug before taking a sip from it "want some?" she asked as she raised the mug towards him

"It'll be a cold day in hell before I drink anything that might contain your spit." Levi replied

"Suit yourself" she replied as she placed the mug down "by the way, we got a message from Erwin." She said, handing him a small folded up note

Levi took the message from her; he pulled up a chair near the desk and began reading its contents "Looks like he got our message about the Reiss family being royal blood" said Levi "he also needs us to tie up some loose ends; specifically making sure the lie about Stohess doesn't get out."

"So… any idea on how we're going to do this?" asked Hange

"I'll think of something…" Levi replied as he folded the small note and placed it back on her desk "you just focus on the experiments."

* * *

"That's basically how electricity works" Ed said as he finished off his explanation to the engineers, a black chalk board was littered with scribbles and writings "it's used to power almost everything on my world; lights sources, factories, houses and a whole range of different tech etc." the group of scout engineers, who were seated through his lecture, began scribbling their own notes "if you guys are planning on making more new tech in the future then you should get to work on this."

"How do we make it?" asked one of the scouts "electricity that is."

"You're gonna need a generator to do that" Ed replied "it turns kinetic energy into electrical energy; back in Amestris there were a bunch of different ways to do it from burning coal, natural gas ,water and wind. I guess that's where you guys come in; after all, I'm an alchemist."

"The iceburst stones, the gas that's used for ODM gear, we could use that." suggested one of the engineers.

"And the rivers that flow into the districts." suggested another

"We could put turbines on the Walls!" exclaimed a third, quickly the room descended into a loud chatter of different ideas; Ed smirked to himself as he listened to the group excitedly discuss the possibilities. Suddenly there was a knock on the open door, getting everyone's attention, it was Captain Levi.

"Captain Levi, sir!" exclaimed one of the scouts as they all shot up from the seats

"At ease, sorry to do this but you're gonna have to cut this thing short." he said, he turned his attention towards Ed "Edward, come with me, I need to see you in my office."

"Sir." was all the group replied, Ed remained silent as he walked towards Levi. The two began to walk along the castle long hallways.

"Captain Levi, what's this all about?" Ed asked, his eyes looking down slightly at Levi who was walking beside him

"I'll explain when we get to my office." Levi replied. The two arrived at his office door; Levi turned the knob and pushed it open. Inside sat Mikasa, who turned her head to face them, on the other side of Levi's desk and an empty chair next to her "take a seat, Edward" he sat down next to Mikasa as Levi sat oppose to them "we got orders from Erwin and he needs us to make sure our little lie about the battle of Stohess doesn't come out." He handed them the note from Erwin, they both took turns reading the message "I'm going to break into the government building in Stohess and you two are going to help me." Both Ed and Mikasa looked at Levi with shock.

"What exactly are we going to do?" Asked Mikasa

Levi opened the draw and took out a map of Stohess district "The only person who knows about the plan to ambush Reiner and Bertholdt is the Mayor and, on top of that, there are some planning records that need to be destroyed."

"And what do you need us for?" asked Ed

"Obviously we're not going through the front entrance." said Levi, his finger tapping on the location in the map "Ed, I need you to make a door for us in this alleyway, find where they keep their records and burn them all" Ed was about to protest when Levi quickly shushed him and looked toward Mikasa "Mikasa, I need you to create a distraction to lure the garrison and MPs away; how you'll this is by setting off a bomb near the area" Levi placed his finger onto a warehouse nearby "it'll be empty so there's little chance of any civilian casualties and once that's done make sure our entrance doesn't get discovered; if we do get discovered then head back to the horses and wait for me, are we all clear?"

"Yes, sir" Mikasa replied

"Mikasa, you've only recently recovered from your injuries after the recovery expedition; if you want to withdraw from this mission than I'll understand."

"I'm perfectly fine, sir." Mikasa assured

"Isn't this a bit extreme?" Ed questioned, "Destroying all that information and work, that's just wrong; why can't I just go find the records itself."

"For two reasons; one being that it'll take too damn long to find them, and two, it wouldn't take a genius to ask why only those records got stolen and then connect the dots back to the scouts." frustration began to build up inside Ed as he thought of a way to argue against it "I know that what we're doing isn't 'good' but it's necessary if we're to get the upper hand against people in control." Ed sighed, accepting Levi's judgement.

"Captain, what will you be doing?" asked Mikasa

"I'll be having a few words with the Mayor." Levi said, even though his voice never changed his answer left them with a slight uneasy feeling. "Edward, you know that hair thing you did back when you and Mikasa we're trying to leave? Gonna need you to do the same for us."

Thirty minutes had passed since the meeting; inside the armoury, Ed and Levi sat across from each other, a small table with a large bowl of brown dye and a small mirror in between them "You sure I can wash this shit off later?" asked Levi, somewhat hesitant to dip his hair into the bowl, his eyes shifting from Ed's now black hair to the brown dye

"Yeah I'm sure" replied Edward "now put your head into the bowl" Levi lowered his head into the large bowl and felt the watery brown liquid bathe the front of his hair and forehead. Ed smirked to himself as he heard Levi wince slightly; he placed his hands together and dipped one hand into the bowl while placing the other onto Levi's head. The brown dye quickly travelled up Levi's hair and turned his jet black hair into a chestnut brown; Levi lifted his head upwards and grabbed the mirror to examine his hair. "I also made these boots for you." Said Ed as he pulled out a pair of black boots from behind him while Levi slicked his hair back with his fingers "they'll add about three inches to your height; figured it'll help disguise you." Ed handed the boots to Levi who placed them on; they both stood up from his chair to compare their heights.

"Not bad" Levi commented as the two were almost at eye level with each other; Levi was now standing at about Sasha's height "C'mon, get your gear on and lets head out; Mikasa waiting for us by the stable." The two quickly strapped on their ODM gear and headed to the castle stable. "Make sure to take hand cannon with you and a acoustic round and give one to Mikasa; if we're in trouble then we'll signal each other."

Once there they found Mikasa, her hair was dyed in a dark auburn colour and tied back into a small bun, with Hange and Petra.

"Woah Levi, did you suddenly grow taller or did you shrink, Ed?" teased Hange

Ed felt is eye twitch "I didn't shrink…" he said through a forced smile as he tried to keep is anger at bay "Levi's just wearing boots that make him taller."

"Looks like you might have struck a nerve, Hange" Levi commented, he then turned his attention to his second in command "Petra, you're in charge of the special operations squad until I come back."

"Understood, Captain." Petra replied

"Lower the gate" Levi ordered as the three climbed up onto their horses. The low rumble of the chains and the muffled thud of the wooden platform landing onto the ground disturbed a peaceful quiet. "Alright, move out" Ed whipped the reins of his horse, sending it galloping forward alongside Levi and Mikasa.

* * *

Within Hange's study, Alphonse sat across both Hange and Armin with a large table holding a wide variety of different materials and objects and a stack of paper containing various transmutation circles.

"Before I can teach you the basics of Alchemy, you have to know crucial thing which is this 'all is one and one is all.' You are one and the universe is all; everything is connected together." Said Alphonse

"So like the food chain?" asked Hange

"Not just that." Alphonse replied "All things are connected, caught in this great flow that binds even the smallest ant to this massive universe but yet still it still forms a part of the all."

"All is one and one is all." Armin repeated, quickly catching on. "We are all and one."

"Yes" Alphonse replied, he then pulled a piece of paper with a transmutation circle drawn on it "as you'll know from the notes, this circle is for transmuting the earth." he took a small tub of dirt and poured it out onto the transmutation circle. "If you want to create something then something of equal value must be lost; I can only create with what I have, nothing more, this is the law of equivalent exchange." He placed his hands on the circle and suddenly the lines of the circle were lit in a bright blue glow as small sparks appeared around the small pile of dirt. Both Hange and Armin were quietly and diligently observed the demonstration before them; in the past they, like everyone else, had been in awe at demonstrations of alchemy but now they watched with analytical eyes, wanting to learn how to perform their own demonstrations. The small pile of dirt then transformed into a small rock as the blue light faded and the sparks disappeared; Alphonse moved his hands away, finished with his demonstration.

"Also, trying to bypass the law of equivalent exchange will result in what's called a rebound; the alchemic flow of things will be thrown out of balance and will try to stabilise itself and… it could end really badly" said Alphonse, putting it as mildly as possible, he laid out a piece of paper in front of them and poured out more dirt. "You guys try." Both Hange and Armin placed their hands on their transmutation circle "visualise the atomic structure of the material." There was a familiar bright blue light and sparks of lightening as the dirt formed into small rock.

"Wow, we actually did it!" yelled Hange as she grabbed Armin and shook him excitedly.

"Squad leader Hange, please stops shaking me!" Armin exclaimed while Alphonse giggled at the two.

"Alright, let's try some other stuff." Suggested Alphonse

For the past hour Armin and Hange went through the various materials and elements before them and transformed them into different shapes and objects, all under the guidance of Alphonse who was quickly offering them advice and answering any questions they had; he was surprised at how quickly they were learning and catching the hang of performing basic alchemy.

 _Maybe we could move towards more advanced alchemy in the near future_ Alphonse thought

"Alphonse, have there ever been a case where someone was able to work around the laws of mass conversion?" asked Armin

"No, I don't recall a case like that." Alphonse replied, he then sighed "I would like to find a way, to push the boundaries and form new rules; my brother and I wanted to establish a whole new principle of giving more than we take." He explained "of course we have to prove it can be done first"

"Going against the flow, huh?" said Hange

"It's been my belief that humanity advances by searching for possibilities that aren't bound by rules and laws." Alphonse replied

"I agree." said Armin "If humanity is to survive than we must be able to abandon what holds us back."

"Preach!" yelled Hange in agreement; Alphonse giggled at Hange's enthusiastic support.

"Okay, is there anything specific you guys want to work on?" asked Alphonse

"I like what we're doing now" Hange replied

"Alright." said Alphonse; he turned his head towards Armin "what about you, Armin?" Armin looked to be in deep thought, as if he was evaluating his options.

"Flame alchemy" Armin stated, much to Alphonse shock "I'd like to learn how to perform the same kind of alchemy as that alchemist Roy Mustang."

"Armin…" a hundred different things to say ran wild in Alphonse's head "I can't teach you that; it's not a form of alchemy I know much about."

"But you know the basic principles" Armin replied "you told me back when I asked you to teach me; we could work up from there, with your guidance and knowledge we could do it." Alphonse looked at Armin with an almost scared expression on his face "It probably won't be easy but it's worth trying."

"Armin, why do you want to learn that kind of alchemy?" asked Hange, her tone was more serious, a sharp contrast from her tone only moments ago.

Armin was quiet for a second "Back when we were trying to rescue you and Eren, I had to drag Jean away while trying to escape from a Titan. If it weren't for Connie and Sasha then we would have been killed and had Eren not used his power to command the titans then we'd have all been killed." Both Alphonse and Hange sat silently as they listened to him "Looking back there were so many instances where something like that could have been vital; repelling the titan attack on the right-wing and during our ambush, the fight with Annie, the battle at the castle against the Beast titan, the charge towards Reiner… luck has always been a factor in our victories and more often than not you, Ed and Eren have become a deciding factor in our battles which puts you at risk; with flame alchemy we could tip future battles in our favour and put less pressure on you three."

" **For the good of humanity, we should try."** Armin finished

Alphonse looked down onto the table, a feeling of anxiety and dread creeping over him as he thought about what Armin said. "It would be extremely dangerous." he warned "If anything goes wrong then it could leave you badly injured or…even killed."

"I'm…I'm willing to take that risk." Armin replied after some hesitation.

* * *

The loud creak of the cell door opening caught Annie attention and she looked upwards to see the face of the one person who hadn't yet condemned her.

"Hey Annie" said Mina with a sad smile on her face; in her hands was a small wooden tray with what looked to be a loaf of bread, a cup of water and a bowl of soup. Mina gently placed the tray down in front of her and tore off a chunk of bread "can't eat with your arms chained to the wall" she said as she raised the chunk of bread to Annie's mouth. Annie bit down on the loaf of bread while Mina got the cup of water on the tray. "Let's wait for the soup to cool down." She said as she gently placed the rim of the cup to Annie's lips.

 _Why…_ thought Annie

"Mina…" Annie said as Mina placed the cup down "why… why don't you hate me?" she asked; everyone in this castle either hated or feared her, she was the enemy and a threat to humanity, the looks and comments from the guards and her former comrades had told us as much. But yet… this person still had a smile for her.

Mina looked to the floor for a few seconds "When we found out you were the Female titan… I was heartbroken" she said "I… I wanted to hate you, I felt so betrayed, but I couldn't. It might be naïve or stupid but I still see that person who kept to herself but liked spending time with people, the person who had always had a grumpy face yet the sweetest smile, the person who always tried to act like she didn't care yet was so passionate about her fighting technique from her dad… that person is my best friend."

"Thank you" was all Annie could say, unable to express the feeling of sadness and love she had for Mina as her friend, she smiled softly at her; Mina wrapped her arms around Annie and hugged her tightly.

' _Your father will always be on your side'_

"I want to go home…" said Annie "I want to see my dad."

"I wish I could do that for you but I can't." replied Mina

"I… I feel so uncomfortable" said Annie, the chains holding her arms rattling "I hate it here."

"I might be able to convince the officers to improve your conditions, maybe make your chains longer so that you could move a bit." Mina suggested, pulling away from her "But… the only way I could convince them is if I can show them you're cooperating with us."

"They want information from me" said Annie, she sighed; all throughout her continued captivity she's denied the scout any information and had endured torture at the hands of Levi to keep them in the dark. Because Annie believes she could escape someday.

And she still believed.

She looked off to the side and towards her arm; weeks of being tightly chained to the spot had caused her to waste away and no doubt her lack of practicing her fighting technique was making her rusty. If she was to survive then she would have to comply but if was to not be ousted as a traitor to her motherland in future…

"Almost everyone in the walls belongs to a certain race of people…" said Annie after some silence between the two "they have the ability to turn into titans and are susceptible to the commands of the Coordinate… Eren's titan."

* * *

In the courtyard of the castle, the special operations squad had concluded their training and were now waiting for Hange's experiments with Eren later on in the day. Petra, Connie and Jean all watched as Sasha began demonstrating her skills with a bow while Alphonse and Mina sat back on wooden crates under the shade of nearby tower, talking and watching Sasha from a far.

"What kind of friends did you have back home?" asked Mina as she sat listening to Alphonse talk about his life back in Amestris.

"We made a lot of friends on our journeys." said Alphonse "This one guy called Ling would constantly eat and hassle us for food."

"Sounds a lot like Sasha." giggled Mina

"He kind of does." laughed Alphonse

"What did he look like?" she asked

"Surprisingly he was pretty lean and tall." Alphonse

"We met him back in a place called Rush Valley, where the make automail like the one Ed has; he was on a mission to find a way to become immortal"

"Immortal?" exclaimed Mina

"Crazy, right? It was for a race to become emperor of his country between him and his forty two siblings."

"Forty three kids, that's insane! And he was a prince?" Mina replied, completely dumbfounded "okay, you got to explain that."

"Basically his dad was the emperor of the country of Xing and the head of fifty clans that make up the country" Alphonse explained "each clan chief would marry their daughter to the emperor in the hope that their grandchild would become emperor; when the emperor was sick he tasked his children with finding immortality and whoever was successful would become emperor."

"So who won?" asked Mina

"Ling" Alphonse replied "He's currently the emperor now and last I heard he was doing well; he vowed to protect each of the clans in Xing."

"That's nice." Mina replied, smiling "Did you ever meet any of his siblings?"

"Yeah, she's another friend we made during our journeys."Alphonse replied "She's a master in alkhestry and could throw knives with pin point accuracy, she taught me about alkhestry during her time in Amestris and she had a pet panda too; the last time I saw her was with her brother before they left which was about two years ago."

"What was her name?" asked Mina

"Mei Chang."Alphonse answered

"Oh."

"Alphonse Elric!" both Alphonse and Mina looked off to the side; walking towards them were two scouts carrying double barrel shotguns. Both Alphonse and Mina saluted them "We are to escort you to Leonhart's cell." The scout turned to Mina "Squad leader Hange Zoe approved your request."

"I'll see you soon." said Alphonse

"Yeah" Mina replied as she watched the three of them walk off back towards the castle; she turned her gaze towards the others still chatting away and watching Sasha's archery.

"You're an amazing shot, Sasha" complemented Petra as Sasha's arrow hit the centre.

"Thank you Lieutenant Petra." Sasha replied

"Please, just Petra when we're off duty." Petra said with a soft smile on her face "or at least when the Captain is not around."

"How did you get fifty eight kills?" asked Jean

"That number seems almost impossible." added Connie

"It's all about team work." Petra replied "only about ten of them are solo kills and the rest were assist; if we can trust each other completely to have our backs then I'm sure we can do it." As soon as those words left her mouth, the memory of her squad mates dying quickly flashed through her mind; her expression turned slightly sombre at the thought of them.

"Petra, are you alright?" asked Connie, the three noticing her slight change in mood.

Petra quickly perked up "Oh its nothing." she replied "Like I said, just have faith in your comrades." The three of them smiled at her and nodded their heads in agreement. Sasha turned back towards the archery target; she placed an arrow back into the string, pulled back the bow and released an arrow shot which struck dead centre.

"Nice shot!" cheered Connie

"Way to go!" Petra added

"Hey let me try." asked Jean; Sasha handed Jean the bow and sat next to Connie. Jean placed an arrow onto the string, pulled back and released the arrow; unluckily for him the arrow didn't hit the centre but instead struck the wall behind it, both Sasha and Connie starting giggling. "Shut it you two!" Jean yelled, fuming over his missed shot and their teasing.

 _These guys are going to be depending on me_ Petra thought as she watched them mess about _I can't let it happen again… I'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe._

"Hey guys" came a voice from the side, they all turned to see Mina walking towards them "Still doing archery?"

"Yeah, wanna try?" asked Sasha as Jean offered her the bow.

"Uh… do you have anything else?" Mina asked

"We have some arrowheads if you want to trying throwing them" Connie offered "might not work out to well though."

Mina picked up the arrowhead and, with her fingers, starting playing with it for a second. She then aimed her hand towards the target and threw the arrowhead; the sharp projectile struck the target but bounced off and landed onto the floor. "Can't be helped…" she muttered as she looked at the target with an apathetic yet almost sad expression on her face.

"What can't be helped?" asked Petra

"Oh its nothing important, Lieutenant Petra." Mina replied with a slight smile; she turned towards Jean "I'll try with the bow this time."

* * *

Under the cover of an ever darkening sky Levi and Ed waited in the alleyway near the Stohess government building for the first part of their covert operation; the streets were quiet with only a few people wondering around and the odd patrol from the garrison, luckily no one had gone into the alley and discovered them. Ed glanced over to Levi who was leaning up against a wall, Ed gripped the handles of his ODM gear tightly; he was ready to move at a moment's notice. Suddenly the sound of a loud explosion, accompanied by a slight rumble of the ground, shook them into action.

"Give it a second." said Levi, stopping Ed as he aimed the handle upwards "Let the guards go check it out first." The sound of yelling and boots stomping mixed into the roars of the blazing fire nearby. "Alright, let's go." The two of them fired their cables upwards; they were now more than twenty meters off the ground "This should be the third floor." Ed clapped his hands and placed them onto the wall, transmuting a row of open window for Levi to enter, Levi looked back at Ed somewhat confused.

"It's less suspicious that way." Ed said "A single window would be too obvious."

"Fair point." Levi replied "Second floor is just five meters below; remember burn the archive and leave nothing behind. Make sure you start a small fire; it gives me some time with the mayor before I have to leave and everyone else in the building some time to escape." Levi instructed, before he climbed through.

Ed lowered himself down, the metal wires zipping as he made his descent, he placed his handles back into his strap's pockets and transmuted a row of windows for him to enter through.

 _Hope Mikasa doing fine on her part…_ he thought as he climbed through the open window.

Within the alleyway of two houses, Mikasa hid and watched as groups of MPs and garrison soldiers rushed towards the large blazing fire nearby; even from here she could feel the heat of the flames as the soldiers rushed to pour water onto the enormous inferno.

"Flames spreading over here!" yelled an MP

"Don't get too close!" warned another

"Was this an attack?" one questioned

"By who?" responded the other

She turned away from the scene before her and began to make her way towards the government building; towards the alleyway where she'd join back up with Edward and Levi. She peered round the corner towards the alleyway, checking to see if anyone was there, and saw nobody. She ran towards the middle and looked up to see a row of windows.

 _Looks like they're already doing their part_ Mikasa thought _just got to wait for-_

"Hey" said a voice from the other end of the alleyway; she turned her head to see a tall, skinny looking, old man wearing a long black coat and black bowler hat. He walked towards Mikasa, allowing her to see his thin beard and long and rough looking hair. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he eyes quickly caught sight of her ODM gear "Were you the one that started that fire?" his voice was rough and almost creepy. "I mean it's obvious you ain't a soldier."

"Stay back." Mikasa ordered as she took out one of her blades from the scarab; she hoped it would have intimidated the strange man. Instead the old man gave an almost demented smile.

"So you were the one that started the fire." He said as he reached into his coat and pulled out a large knife. "Looks like I can't let you escape then." The two stared at each other for a second before the old man lunged towards Mikasa with his knife and Mikasa charging forward with her blade.

The old man slashes his knife to the right but Mikasa blocks it with her blade, she throws a hard punch towards him but he moves his head back causing her to miss by an inch. She kicks his ankle causing him to buckle slightly and goes in for another kick to but the old man counters with quick punch to the gut; she stumbles back with her hand clutching her stomach.

 _Damn it!_ She thought; the guy was tougher than he looked and she had hoped to scare him away or knock him out… Instead she was now in a fight for her life.

"You're pretty good." the old man said as he got back up to his feet. "You're fast and there's a lot of power in your hits, kind of remind me of a certain midget I use to know." he played around with the large knife in his hand. "I think I'll prolong this fight a little longer before I kill you."

Mikasa charged towards him more once and leapt into the air with her arm pulled back and her hand clenched into a fist aiming for his head. The old man blocks the incoming punch and tries to stab Mikasa with his knife but Mikasa quickly leans to the side and avoids the attack, she sweeps under his feet causing him to fall to his knees, she raises blade upwards with the intention of hitting him with the butt of her handle. However the old man quickly counters by slamming the handle of his knife into the right side of her ribs.

"Ah!" Mikasa cried out, the attack to her still recovering injuries throwing her off. The old man quickly gets back up and raised the knife over her, this time he intended to finish their fight, Mikasa quickly manages to block the attack and hold him in place. The knife just inches away from her face. She quickly reaches into her pocket and pulls out the hand cannon, she points the gun towards him but the old man grabs her wrist and points the gun slightly off to the side before Mikasa could pull the trigger.

A loud bang echoed in the alleyway.

"Missed" said the old man in a smug tone. With as much force as she could, Mikasa kicks him in the gut and sends him tumbling back, giving her some distance. Mikasa clutched at her side with her hand while keeping a tight grip on her blade; she watched and waited for her attacker to make his next move. She winced at the sharp pain in her right side. "Okay…" he said as he dusted himself off "This was fun for a while but now this little fight is over."

"For you it is!" yelled a voice from above, they both looked upwards to see someone descend onto the old man with their leg sticking out to kick him.

 _Edward!_ Thought Mikasa

The old man quickly turned around and, with almost perfect timing, stabs Ed's leg with the large knife while Ed was still in the air. Ed instantly strikes the old man with his other leg, slamming the sole of his boot into his face; the old man falls onto his back as Ed lands crouching onto the ground, Ed looks down onto the knife plunged into his left leg and pulls it out, tossing it to the side.

"Mikasa, you alright?" asked Ed, a look of concern on his face.

"Well aren't you something else." said the old man, lifting his head up slightly; Ed turned his head towards him once more. "Stabbed you in the leg and not a drop of blood on the ground, hell you don't even look hurt." He got up from the ground and glared at Ed. "Wonder how fast I can drop you."

"Bring it, you old bastard." growled Ed, raising his fists to his face as he prepared himself for a fight.

"Hey you two!" yelled another person, the three turned to see a group of garrison soldiers armed with muskets. "Don't move!" Neither Ed nor Mikasa complied; they instead fired their cables onto the top of the building and quickly reeled themselves upwards onto the rooftops, evading the Stohess garrison.

In a small forest, near the walls of Stohess, Mikasa sat back against a tree while Ed began checking his automail leg. "Bastard got through the metal plating but didn't hit any of the wiring." Ed said as he closed up the large slit in his leg. "How are you holding up?" Ed asked as he placed his boot back on and walked up to her.

"Not good." Mikasa replied "I think my ribs might be fractured again."

Ed sighed "You shouldn't have taken this mission so soon after recovery." He said "We'll get you a medic back at the castle." Suddenly the sound of zipping cables catches their attention; it was Levi arriving at their meeting point, he landed onto the ground to the sound of the soft crunch of his boots landing some twigs and leaves.

"What happen?" Levi asked as he walked up to them.

"Someone attacked me in the alleyway." Mikasa informed as she stood up "I don't think he was part of the military; he was dressed in civilian clothing and only had a knife on him." Levi looked at Mikasa with a confused expression on his face.

"How did a civilian give you a hard time?" Levi asked, the tone of his voice and expression his face suggested that he was confused at how someone could go toe to toe against Mikasa; his eyes widen slightly, as if a terrible thought had occurred to him. "What'd he look like?" he asked, this time with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"He was tall, old looking, slim and had a long face with a thin black beard and long hair." Ed described "He wore a long black coat and a bowler hat."

"He was fast and weirdly strong." Mikasa recalled "But the way he smiled at me…it was as if he was crazy; he was enjoying the idea of fighting and killing us."

Levi took a step back "No… it can't be…" he muttered, both Ed and Mikasa watched as Levi looked to be in almost complete disbelief.

"Captain, what's wrong?" asked Ed "Who was that guy?"

"Mikasa, you fired that gun?" Levi asked her

"Yes sir, when he got the better of me I tried to use my pistol against him." Mikasa replied "But he managed to counter before I could aim it."Levi had an almost disappointed look on his face, yet he nodded at Mikasa as if to approve of her actions.

"What did you do, Edward?" Levi asked

"I wasn't going to kill the guy if that's what you're going to ask." Ed responded "With all due respect, Captain, I have no intention of killing anyone." Levi glared at Ed as if to say he disapproved of Ed's decision.

"Listen… that guy back there was dangerous." Levi told them; his fist clenched and his eyes falling onto the ground as if he was in deep thought.

"You should have killed him when you had the chance."

* * *

Hello again everyone,

Sorry this is a bit late again; there were a bunch of things I need to sort out.

Firstly, I made some changes to my Uprising Arc plans, after some thought about it, and secondly, I've been practicing to drive. Anyway onto the next chapter we go…

Side note: In light of recent events…

England has made it to the semi-finals, you know what that means?

IT'S COMING HOME, ITS COMING HOME, ITS COMING… **FOOTBALL'S COMING HOME!**


	34. Chapter 34: Our Progress

**Chapter 34: Our Progress**

"Lower the gate!" yelled the scout as she caught sight of three riders charging straight for the castle; the chains violently rattled as the large wooden platform quickly collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud, just before horses reached it, allowing the three to enter through the gate and come to a complete halt as soon as they passed through.

"Help her, she's wounded!" yelled Levi at the scouts nearby as he quickly climbed off his horse. He stood back and watched as two soldiers ran up to Mikasa and carefully helped her off her horse, Mikasa continued to clutch at the right side of her body as stifled groans escaped her mouth.

"Riding on a horse for that long must have done a number on your ribs." said one of the scouts

"Get her to a medic." Levi ordered.

"Of course, Captain." The other replied as the two helped carry her towards the main building, he watched for a few seconds as the three rushed back inside. He turned his head off to the side to see Edward handing the reins of his horse to another scout; he walked towards Ed, catching his attention as Levi approached. Ed looked dishevelled; his hair was messy and his eyes were slightly bloodshot, no doubt from spending the whole night on their small operation and the long ride back.

"How's Mikasa?" Ed asked him.

"Medics will take care of her from here." Levi replied, a few seconds of silence pasted between the two. "Edward, about that ambush from that old guy…"

"Is there something you're not telling us, Captain?" Edward questioned "You know who that guy was, don't you?"

"Yeah, I did…" Levi admitted "Which is why I'd of preferred you'd have attacked with the intention to kill the bastard; you could have easily used your blades or your alchemy as well."

"I'm not killing anyone for you." Edward said in a hushed, yet angered, tone of voice.

"I'm not asking you to kill for me." Levi retorted "Just know that your refusal to do so will come back to bite you in the ass one day or even put your comrades in danger."

"No offence Captain, but I don't need you to lecture me on something like this." Ed replied, anger and annoyance radiating from his voice "I've handled people who wanted to kill me in the past, so I know what I'm doing." Ed turned away from Levi and walked off towards the castle himself.

"Hey, what about this crap on my hair?" Levi called out as he watched Ed walk away.

"Just wash it off." Ed replied as he waved his hand dismissively.

"Tch" Levi turned away from Ed; his eyes looking at the ground as he thought about Edward and Mikasa's encounter with…him.

 _Of all the people to run into… why him, why was he there?_ Levi thought.

* * *

Ed awoke from his bed, his nap leaving his slightly groggy; he sat up onto the edge and rubbed his eyes. He then turned his head and looked towards the window; it was late in the afternoon and the sky had already begun to darken. He got off his bed and began rummaging through a chest at the foot of his bed; as he grabbed his towel he noticed a familiar bulge into the front pocket of his folded brown waist coat, he opened the pocket and found his state alchemist pocket watch he opened the watch and took out the folded photograph of himself, Alphonse and Winry. He smiled softly at the picture and headed towards the bathroom; the room was dimly lit with candles hanging from the walls and row of buckets full of water, resting on a long table, lined up along a wall of mirrors. Ed placed the photograph on the table and cupped some water into his hand to splash it onto his face, he looked at himself in the mirror; his hair was still dyed black and he hadn't changed from the clothes he wore during the night raid. He placed his hands together and dangled his ponytail over the bucket as the black hair dye was drained from his hair.

 _It won't be long now…_ Ed thought as he watched the dye dripped into the bucket. He looked down at the photograph once more. _Soon… we'll be home soon Winry, we just have to go through this first._ He folded the photograph and placed it into his pocket as he left the bathroom. He threw his towel onto his bed and made his way through the castle.

 _Wonder how Alphonse's doing_. Ed thought as he walked through the long corridor; he arrived at the castle's library and found Armin and Alphonse looking over a small stack of papers under candle light.

"Hey" Ed called out towards them, catching their attention.

"Hello Ed" Armin replied.

"How was your nap?" Alphonse asked.

"Don't exactly feel refreshed." Ed replied as he walked towards them. "You guys in the middle of a lesson?" he asked.

"We actually just finished lesson with Hange" Alphonse informed "Armin just wanted to go over a couple things."

"You're pretty keen, Armin." Ed commented; he looked down at some of the notes on the table, picked one up and began reading. As he read the contents of the note he began to feel confused; all the components that made up air with a specific focus being on oxygen. He placed the note back down, picked up another and read; this time it was about oxygen manipulation and forming pathways. A creeping sense of uneasy came over him.

 _This… this is…_

He placed the sheet of paper down, a bit more frantically, and picked up one with a familiar looking transmutation circle on it. It was a circle with inverted hexagrams, a small flame at the top and a salamander at the bottom.

"Alphonse… can I speak with you for a second." Ed asked, yet it sounded more like he was demanding. The two walked out of the library, leaving Armin alone, and into the hallway. It was clear from the look on Ed's face that he was vexed. "When you said you'd teach Armin and Hange alchemy I didn't expect it to be flame alchemy… just what the hell were you thinking?"

"I didn't want to do it; Armin was the one who insisted on doing it." Alphonse replied.

"And you couldn't say no?" Ed asked "You couldn't have warned him about the risks?"

"You think I didn't try?" Alphonse shot back; it was clear from his voice that he was annoyed. "He knows it won't be easy and I told him that it could get him killed yet he still wants to learn it."

"Not going to be easy' is an understatement." Edward commented "Is Hange in on this too?"

"No, she wants to try a bit of everything." Alphonse replied. "I run them through a variety of different transmutations and anything specific they want; flame alchemy is something Armin's learning in both the lessons and his spare time."

"Armin's going to fail." Ed said "He's only just started learning alchemy."

"They've actually been fast learners." Alphonse replied.

"And you think Armin's capable of both learning and helping to make a type of alchemy from scratch?" Ed asked.

"That's something we'll have to find out." said Alphonse.

"Edward!" yelled a voice further down the corridor; both Edward and Alphonse turned to see a scout waving at them "Captain Levi wants to see you."

"What is it now…" Ed muttered, somewhat annoyed "We'll talk more about this later." He said to Alphonse before walking towards the scout; Alphonse nodded his head and headed back towards the library as Ed left for Levi's office.

Ed opened the door to Levi's office; inside he saw Levi sitting alone on the other side of the desk reading a letter, an empty chair on the opposite side. "What is it this time captain?" Edward asked as he sat down on the empty chair, he sounded exhausted.

"You've been summoned to the capital." Levi said as he handed Edward the letter; Edward began reading its contents. "Some of the bigwigs want to talk to you, well not you specifically they'd talk to either you, Alphonse or both but I figured since your brother is busy teaching Hange and Armin; you're free to speak on his behalf as well as yours."

 _A meeting with some members of the Privy Council_ Ed thought to himself as he read the letter.

"Think it might be a trap?" Edward questioned.

"You'll be going into the chancellery with Erwin; he'll be heading into a different meeting but I doubt this is an ambush, more likely they'll try to convince you and your brother to join their side."

"Will they?" Ed said as he folded the letter in half, his voice sounded almost amused at the idea.

 _I guess this would be a good as a time as ever to get them to explain themselves…_

"If you want to leave it then that's fine; honestly I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to meet those fat pigs in the capital." Said Levi

"I'll go meet them." Ed replied throwing the folded letter onto the table "Got a couple things to ask them anyways."

"Alright then, Nifa will be heading to the capital to relay Historia's secret and the information we got from Annie; so you'll just tag along with her.

"So when do I leave?" Ed asked.

"You've got about an hour to clean yourself up properly and pack some clothes before she heads off." Levi replied, Ed groaned loudly at the news of his sudden departure. "Hey you're the one who agreed to it."

* * *

Eren slowly opened his eyes; his vision was blurred but quickly cleared as he regains consciousness. He lazily lifted his head up slightly from the pillow. "Eren, you're awake!" yelled a voice at his side. Eren slowly turned his head to see Hange and Moblit. "Moblit, get some hot water and a towel!"

"Yes squad leader!" Moblit replied as he sprints out of the room, Eren laid his head back onto the pillow as he quickly slipped back into slumber once more.

"And get Levi too!" was the last thing Eren heard when he shut his eyes.

"Hey" said a voice by his side as he felt a hand grab his shoulder and shake him "awake up, slacker." Eren opened his eyes once more to see Levi standing over him. "Use this" said Levi as he dropped a wet towel onto Eren's face; the towel was steaming hot, taking Eren by surprise as he quickly picked up the towel from his face and sat up on his bed. Eren began rubbing the moist towel on his face, the warm droplets of water running down his face; he looked upwards to find himself in the sleeping quarters of the castle with Hange sitting beside him, Levi sitting at the end of his bed, Historia standing at the end of his bed and Alphonse standing next to Hange.

"Good to see you back to your old handsome self again." Hange joked; she was holding a clip board up towards Eren.

"Where's Mikasa?" he asked; Eren was surprised not to see her here to check on him after her mission with Levi and Ed.

"Mikasa is being checked on by the medical team." Alphonse informed him "Her ribs have been damaged again."

"What happened?" asked Eren, concerned over the well being of one of his closest friends.

"Someone tried to kill her during the operation." Levi told him "Luckily Ed managed to get the drop on him before the MPs showed up."

"That's good, I hope she's okay." Eren commented "How did the experiments go?" he asked looking back to Hange "was I able to harden my skin?"

"I'm afraid not." Hange replied to Eren's dismay.

"Nothing… nothing at all?" he asked

"No sadly, we examined the skin of your Titan and couldn't find what might have resembled anything similar to either the armoured titan or the female titan's skin." Hange flicked through the papers on the clipboard. "Here's what happened; Alphonse transmuted some fifteen meter tall dummy titans from the ground for you to destroy. You transformed into your titan and tried to harden your fists in order to punch them, but to no avail you were unable to do so. After that we decided to run some intelligence and endurance tests instead." For a couple minutes, Hange went over the results of their tests; telling him about his odd behaviour after prolonged periods within his titan and the limit of his abilities. As Eren listened to her, he felt more and more distraught that he couldn't succeed on his part.

"So… that means my inability will only make the operation to retake Wall Maria more difficult." Eren said, sounding frustrated "I won't be able to meet Reiner or the Beast titan on an equal footing if that's the case."

"Don't beat yourself up, Eren." said Alphonse, speaking up "We can still seal the wall and beat them; we've beaten Reiner and Bertholdt before and we'll do again, even if we have to face the Beast titan too." Eren perked up slightly at Alphonse's encouragement.

"You realise the only reason we almost, key word: almost, won back at Stohess against Reiner was because we got the drop on him; if either you or Ed try to fly directly at him again then he'll squish you like an annoying fly." Eren mulled over Levi's retort, thinking back to his fight with Reiner; had it not been for Ed breaking the armour then Reiner would have certainly won.

"Just trying to be helpful, Captain." Alphonse remarked, slightly annoyed.

"Don't get snarky with me Alphonse, I get enough of that from your brother, our situation isn't completely fucked, honestly it could be worst, but that doesn't mean we've got an easy ride either. Look, I know I'm being an asshole about this but someone has to point out and complain about our fuck ups. Life in these walls is shit, even the air smells like shit; it's always been that way, I didn't notice it until I stepped outside the walls and breathed the air outside… life outside is nothing short of a living nightmare but it's got something the walls don't have… freedom."

"What Levi's trying to say is all is not lost; we may have not been able to harden your titan body but we were able to learn vital information about your titan and that's a success." Hange clarified "Also we were able to uncover some crucial information from Annie Leonhart; it turns out that humanity within these walls belongs to a race of people capable of transforming into titans and your titan, the Coordinate, has the ability to control everyone." Eren's jaw dropped at the revelation from Hange.

"That pretty much explains why those at the very top want to capture you." Levi added he then turned his head to Historia who was standing quietly next to them "Of course we still have to wonder how this fits in with you and the royal family. But it's safe to say our lives are pretty much tied to you, Eren."

"In any case we've managed to learn a lot." Hange declared "We just got to keep moving forward." She turned face Levi "Isn't that right, Levi?"

"Yeah… thanks for the clarification." Levi replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Eren glanced at Alphonse, who was watching Levi and Hange converse with each other; he looked down onto his hand and clenched it into a fist. _Am I really cut out to be one of humanity's saviours?_ He asked himself _I'm not like them… I haven't mastered my powers… I'm almost useless. But if I keep learning then I won't be._

He unclenched his fist; opening his hand. _Why did I think of my father during the experiments? Did it affect my abilities?_

He thought back to the last memory of his father; leaving their home in Shiganshina on that fateful day. _Father…where are you? Have you already…_

Suddenly the image of a woman flashed before his eyes; she standing in her room, wearing what looked to be a nightgown and was combing her long black hair. She was a stranger to Eren yet she looked familiar in a way.

 _Historia? No it can't be… am I remembering this?_ An almost unbearable headache overcame him; he placed his hand onto his head trying to soothe the pain _I can't…_

"Eren, are you alright?" Alphonse asked as he approached Eren.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Eren replied

"Moving forward we need to uncover more information about the titans and the royal family, while also organizing ourselves around the information we already have." Hange explained "For now we'll put the hardening test on hold, hopefully Mina can get some information from Annie regarding the hardening ability, and we'll try to learn more about your titan's controlling ability. Our next step should be to further investigate those at the top and hopefully learn something about the Coordinate's power and the other secrets they've hidden; with both Erwin and Edward in the capital hopefully they'll be able to learn about the Reiss family, the true rulers of humanity, and why they've kept the secrets of the titans from us and why royal government seeks to undermine human progress."

* * *

Ed watched from the horse-drawn carriage as a group of children frantically ran off with a large black bag stolen from what looked to be a wealthy looking man who swung his cane at them in anger. The capital of the walls, the area was no doubt a home for the important and the wealthy; the buildings were similar to those in districts along wall Sina and the streets looked well kept. He sat opposite to Erwin and Nile who Erwin had asked to escort them to the chancellery, much to Ed's displeasure.

"A gang of child thieves, the state of the capital is worse than I thought." Erwin commented as he watched the same sight as Ed.

"It's the same as everywhere; crimes gone up and the crackdown on it have led to overcrowding in prisons." Nile said, adding more insight to the disintegrating state of order in the walls. He turned his head slightly towards Erwin. "Why'd you ask me to come with you? Isn't the kid enough company for you?" Nile questioned "This whole trip been awkward with him glancing at me like he wants to punch me in the face." he said turning his attention to Edward.

"Sorry if I'm not friendly with the guy who tried to argue for me and my brother's execution." said Ed, his voice growling slightly as he recalled the trial that occurred not so long ago.

"What would you have done in my position?" Nile questioned "Three freaks of nature show up out of nowhere with powers that could wipe out all of humanity."

"Seeing as the 'freaks of nature' helped save a city I wouldn't have been an idiot and killed off our greatest advantages." Ed responded.

"Idiot?" Nile questioned "You dare insult a superior officer?"

"Wouldn't be the first time." Ed shot back.

"That's enough, Ed" Erwin calmly injected, raising his right arm at him; Ed turned away from Nile and looked back to the window.

"It baffles me how you're still alive." Nile commented as he observed Erwin's metal hand. "I guess that new metal arm of yours serves as a reminder that you're just as mortal as the rest of us."

"I see it as a privilege to be the first to receive an automail limb, despite all the aches and pains it brings." Erwin stated as he looked down onto his hand, the light gleaming off its reflective surface. "If anything can be learned by being used as the first subject then it'll be worth it to see humanity progress."

"Good for you, you like being a lab rat." Nile said dismissively "Tell me, do you still believe in those childish delusions?"

"Yes… and after everything that's occurred, those delusions are turning into a reality." Erwin replied. "Nile… we're you aware that Minister Nick was tortured by the MPs first interior squad?"

"No…" Nile replied, slightly perplexed by Erwin's question.

"It seems they wanted to know about something, perhaps a secret he let out." Erwin replied "What could they be hiding?

"I don't have control over what they do." Nile stated "Hell, even I'm just following orders given to me, the interior MPs are different from us; we have no contact with them and there's no one who exercises official control over them, they're free to act as they wish."

"Nile… why do you think they've summoned the Elrics to the capital?" Erwin asked, Ed turned his head slightly towards Erwin. "We've assumed that they want to convince those two to join them instead and, no doubt, they'll soon come for Eren… do you think the walls would be better served if those three were at their disposal instead of the scout regiment?"

 _No…_ Ed thought, answering Erwin's question.

"It's not my place to think about that." Nile replied, looking away from Erwin.

"How's Marie?" Erwin asked, changing the subject "I hear your third child is on the way."

"She's fine." Nile replied.

"I remember you were going to join me in the scout regiment but instead you fell in love with a girl at our favourite bar and married her."

"Yeah, I betrayed you all and as a result I'm still alive to this day." Nile replied "But I don't regret it, I'm proud that I have a family." Ed glanced over towards Nile.

"I never held it against you." Erwin stated "Neither did the soldiers who died before us, we were all happy that you could leave a life we couldn't. But just because you are following orders and protecting your position doesn't mean you're protecting your family… the world we habit is changing." Erwin declared "Hope or despair; who'll make that choice, who will choose and who will you trust?" The carriage came to a sudden halt as they arrived at the large metal gates of the chancellery. Ed opened the door and exited the carriage; he looked behind him to see Erwin still talking to Nile.

"Go on ahead, Edward." Erwin said; Ed walked off past the gate and towards the steps of the chancellery. He observed the building before him; the large pristine white columns held up a triangle shaped area which was decorated with a large insignia of a white cross on a black field with two swords behind it, the front of the building was decorated with large windows and around the large building was open space fenced in by tall walls with sharp pointed end railing. Ed looked behind once more to see Erwin patting Nile on the shoulder and saying a few words before walking off.

"Ready to go?" Erwin asked as he approached Edward.

"Sure Commander." Ed replied as they walked up the large set of stairs. They entered into the large building before them through some open nicely crafted wooden doors. The hall inside was covered in a marble floor, a series of white pillars held up the roof, a large stair case led to the second floor of the building and people dressed in military uniform and nice clothes walked around being escorted into different areas of the building.

"Commander Erwin and Edward Elric!" someone called out, they turned to see a man dressed in a black coat and trousers walking up to them.

"Once you're finished with your talk, meet me back at the entrance." Erwin whispered to him, Ed nodded his head.

"I'm to escort you two to your respective meetings." said the neatly dressed man with a smile on his face; they followed him up the large set of stairs to the second floor. The second floor was covered in a dark green carpet and the windows were decorated with cream coloured curtains lined the walls. They walked down the large hallway where a line of doors which led into different rooms. "This is where you're needed, Commander Erwin." said the man as they stopped in front of one of the doors and opened it for him

"Thank you." Erwin replied as he stepped into the room, Ed peeked inside; there was a large table with four old men sat down waiting for Erwin.

"Your meeting is just down that hall." Said their guide as now he and Ed walked further down the hallway. "I must say, it is great to see that you've accept the summons from some of the King's advisors." The guide opened the door for him, Edward walked inside to see three old men sitting on one side of a large table; the one on the left was dressed in strangely extravagant clothes and a conservative haircut, looked to be about Ed's height and was rather plump, the man on the right was tall with a skinny face, wore a black coat with a shirt and cravat with a conservative haircut and the man in the middle was also plump looking, short, had a round face with large blue eyes and jagged black hair and he wore black waist coat over a white shirt.

"Edward Elric, please sit down." said the man in the middle as he waved him forward. Ed stared at the man as he approached the empty chair in front of him; there was something about him that looked familiar.

 _Those eyes… where have I seen them before…_

"It's good to make your acquaintance." said the man in the middle as he shook Ed's hand. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is"

" **Rod Reiss."** Ed felt his stomach drop as he heard his name; he tried to best to remain calm as he stood face to face with the true king of the walls.

 _That's why there was something familiar about him!_ Ed yelled inside his head _Historia's dad…_

"I'm a regional lord of an area in Wall Sina and the chief advisor to his royal majesty King Fritz." Rod finished as Ed sat down on a seat.

 _One truth and a lie…_

"Nice to meet you, Lord Reiss." Edward replied "So… why exactly did you summon me to the capital?"

"Straight to the point, his majesty would find it most advantageous to humanity if you and your brother would lend us your strength; humanity would truly benefit from your alchemy if placed at the command of the king."

Ed narrowed his eyes slightly as he mulled over Rod's words _what does he want from us?_ "Be a little for specific please; what exactly would my brother and I be doing? _Because the way I see it I'd be taking orders from you…_ "Because the way I see it we'd likely be carrying out decisions influenced by the Privy Council." Ed said "So… what do **you** want for humanity?"

"Perceptive…" Rod commented "As you know the situation in the walls is on a cliff's edge, with your help we could establish and maintain order once again."

"Maintain order…" Ed echoed "That's not so different from what I was asked to do as a state alchemist back on my world 'obey the orders and policies of the military.'"

 _You want us to be your dogs…_

"Well that's even better seeing as you are experienced." Rod said "Of course you will be rewarded for your service; it's been made privy to us that you and your brother had made a deal with God, saving our lives in exchange for your loved ones, no doubt helping those who govern in humanity's best interest will fulfil your obligation."

"Here's a question, why should I believe you guys have humanity's best interests?" Edward questioned.

"The royal government has managed the remnants of humanity for more than a century." Rod stated "And for that century, humanity has survived in the face of the titans."

"Surviving… would you call sending two hundred and fifty thousand people to their death 'humanity surviving'? " Ed questioned, catching the three off guard "That's a fifth of the population, a mass purge of people… if Wall Rose was breached tomorrow, would you order half of what's left of humanity to face the titans?"

"What was done was for the good of humanity." said the man on the left this time "The people were starving and our efforts to raise more food were failing, we had to make an attempt to recapture Wall Maria."

"I thought about that, but here's the thing, you guys have had some kind of industrial revolution seeing as you have factories and the ODM gear shows that you are capable of making advanced machinery; so why is it that the walls continue to use old tech for everything else? Then I saw that the automail research and production was suddenly halted." Ed paused for a second to examine their faces "For some reason the government has been stifling technological progress… why is this exactly?"

"We don't know what you mean." Rod stated.

"Don't play dumb with me, how many technological advancements has the royal government halted and for how long?" Ed questioned "Why'd the company that was given the rights to produce automail suddenly shutting the whole thing down?" Ed interrogated Rod Reiss; staring him down as he waited for an answer that never came. "The way I see it, **you** don't have humanity's best interest at heart; humanity is barely surviving when what they need to be is thriving."

" **You're in the way of progress."**

"Insolent child!" yelled the man on the right "You dare insult us, we should-" he was abruptly stopped when Rod raised his hand at him.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Edward Elric."Rod responded "The ways in which we govern has kept humanity alive for over a century now and we believe that it is in the interest of everyone that we maintain the current course."

"That's the problem…" Ed replied before he got up from his chair. "Sorry to disappoint but we won't be accepting your invitation; we'll continue working with the scout regiment, where we might actually make a difference, and not as your military dogs." He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him, catching one last glance at Rod Reiss.

Outside the chancellery, Ed leaned up against one of the large pillars as he waited for Erwin to finish his meeting. "Edward." Erwin called out as he left the building, Erwin's eyes quickly scanned the area around them as he approached Ed. "How'd it go?"

"Commander… I met him, Rod Reiss." Ed said in a hushed tone. Erwin didn't flinch yet the look in his eyes said it all. "They tried to convince me that both Alphonse and I should be working for them instead… well the 'king' instead."

"What did you say?" Erwin asked.

"I interrogated them about why they halted the automail production and why they stifled technological advancements, they didn't have an answer; only said that what they do was in humanity's best interest." Ed explained. "The people in there don't care… the king of the walls doesn't care."

"They care more about the status and their own lives." Erwin added "Maintaining the status quo, I'd hope I was wrong about my assumptions but it seems they were spot on."

"So… it's going to happen then…" Ed said, alluding to their next option. He looked down at onto the ground and his boots.

"Indeed…" Erwin replied, he then took out a piece of paper from his jacket and handed it to Ed. "You'll head back with Nifa to the castle, make sure to give Levi this." Ed took the letter from Erwin and slipped it into his jacket.

"If we fail then it will end badly for us…" Ed commented.

"Then we best not fail." Erwin replied

* * *

Mina pushed open the cell door to see Annie standing at the center of her cell stretching her arms, the long chains connecting her to the wall rattled slightly.

"You just woke up?" asked Mina "It's the afternoon."

"I've pretty much lost all sense of time in here." Annie replied. "Guess that's what happens when you haven't seen the sun in awhile."

"I'll see if I can get you a watch." Mina said as she laid down a bowl of soup in front of Annie.

"Thank you." Annie replied as sat down on the floor and picked up the bowl of soup.

"What have you been doing?" Mina asked as she sat to face Annie.

"Nothing much; I just sleep, eat and exercise now that I'm no longer chained so tightly to the wall." Annie replied, before eating a spoonful of soup.

"You get to talk to me too." Mina added, feigning a saddened tone.

"That's only when you're not around." Annie replied with a slight smile on her face, the two then giggled at each other. "So what have you been up to?"

"Training, lookout duty and some other stuff." Mina replied "Had to watch Eren do some experiments with his titan." A few seconds of silence passed between them "Annie… your titan, how does it make that crystal armour?"

"Has Eren been trying to do the same thing?" asked Annie, his tone sounding more serious.

 _Shit… maybe I said too much…_

Mina didn't respond; her silence was all Annie needed to answer her question. "It's an ability of my titan, each titan is different; mine is different from Eren's, Eren's to Reiner… you get the idea." Annie explained.

"So Eren never had a chance?" asked Mina, this time Mina picked on Annie's silence.

"No… guess he didn't…" Annie responded after a few seconds of silence.

"Annie… what's it like… being a titan?" Mina asked.

"It… it can be overwhelming at first." Annie replied "A huge rush of energy and power… and standing over everyone, you almost feel unstoppable."

* * *

"Go for it Hange!" Alphonse yelled, standing a couple meters away; Hange knelt down in front of the transmutation circle before her, she took a deep breath inwards, visualizing the atomic structure of the ground and what she wanted to create, and she placed her hands onto the grass. Suddenly blue sparks of lightening danced around the circle which was quickly followed by a low rumble from the earth; two massive stone statues burst from the ground before her, one seven meters and the other four meters tall.

"Yahoo!" Hange cried as she jumped into the air "Aren't they beautiful?"

"Way to go, Hange!" Alphonse cheered, next to him the rest of Levi squad were watching and cheering her as she transmuted large dummy titans from the ground.

"Sonny and Bean…" Petra chuckled as she watched Hange.

"Of course she made statues of those fucking titans…" Levi commented.

"Alright, Armin you're up next." Said Alphonse, placing his hand on Armin's shoulder "Are you sure you want to try out flame alchemy now?"

Armin clutched the box of matches in his hand; on the front of the box was a transmutation circle. "Yes… we have to put the research into practice." He opened the box and took out a match before walking off into the field, a row of straw dummies in front of him.

"They're making good progress." Levi commented as he stood next Alphonse.

"Yeah, they're fast learners and their willingness to learn more is only helping them improve." Alphonse replied, beaming with pride. "I hope they'll be able to teach others in the future."

Armin stared at the straw dummies with his concentration being on visualising a path towards his targets; he placed the match-head on the striker "Straight head… small burst of fire." Armin muttered to himself. Alphonse placed one foot forward slightly; ready to move in case something went wrong.

Armin skid the matched head against the striker and almost immediately a large explosion of flames burst from the air; it missed the straw dummies and instead set fire to the trees ten meters behind it. The force of the explosion had knocked Armin off his feet and onto the ground; Alphonse quickly ran in to help him while the others could only stand back and watch horrified as the large uncontrollable fire began to spread.

"Get some water!" Levi ordered, his squad quickly scuttled back into the castle and towards the nearby well.

Alphonse sprinted towards the fire before coming to a complete halt; he clapped his hands together before slammed them onto the ground. A large wall rose from the forest and encircled the burning trees. A massive cloud of thick dark smoke rose from the circle as the cackling sound of flames filled the air. Alphonse jogged towards Armin, still on the ground watching the scene before him in shock; Alphonse picked Armin up from the ground. "You alright, Armin?" he asked.

"Where…where did I go wrong...?" Armin muttered to himself, his voice was a mixture of disbelief and sadness. "I thought… I thought…"

Alphonse embraced Armin lightly; reassuringly tapping him on the back. "It didn't work out the way you wanted, but you came further than I had expected." Alphonse said "For that you should be proud." He moved back slightly to come face to face with him "It's alright if you want to end this, no one will judge you for it." Armin turned his head slightly and looked towards the ground.

A few hours had passed since the experiment and both Levi and Hange's squad met back into the mess hall of the castle; both Ed and Nifa had returned from the capital. Alphonse quickly noticed it; Ed had a glum expression on his face as he leaned up against the table next to where Captain Levi was sitting.

 _Looks like it's going to happen, Al…_ was the first thing Ed had told him when he got back from the capital.

"So you met him… Rod Reiss." Hange asked as she read the letter from Erwin.

"Yeah, he wanted us to join his side." Ed replied.

"What did you say?" Levi asked, turning his head slightly towards Ed.

"Just the polite version of 'Fuck you and everything you stand for.'" Ed replied.

"Not bad." Levi remarked.

"Does he know that we know about the secret of the Reiss family?" Armin inquired.

"No, he introduced himself as the 'King's chief advisor' the bastard is hiding in plain sight."

"And now we're clear on what he looks like." Levi said.

Hange handed the note other to Petra who then passed it towards Jean and so on; each one of them who read the note had a look on their face which ranged from shock to anxious. Alphonse knew exactly what was written on that note and he knew what Ed had alluded to just a moment ago. Armin handed it to Alphonse; he read the letter, on it was one simple yet daunting task.

 _Overthrow the royal government._

Alphonse handed the note back to Levi who placed it over the lit candle and left it to burn on an empty plate.

"That means… Historia has to become the Queen." Armin stated hesitantly; all eyes quickly fell on Historia. Her face had turned almost snow white as her eyes glanced around at everyone in disbelief.

"Seems like the natural conclusion to our mission." Hange added, it sounded as if she felt guilty for agreeing with it as she looked at Historia.

"I… I can't… I" Historia stammered "I can't become Queen."

"Not a lot of people would want to take the role as humanity's ruler, I accept that you're scared right now, I'd probably shit myself too. But it doesn't matter; if that's the end result then you will do your part."

"I'm unfit to be Que-"

"Doesn't matter, do it." Levi quickly interjected "You promised the Commander that should you be needed in the future then you'd commit yourself fully to it, so if becoming Queen is what it takes then do it." Both Alphonse and Edward looked at Historia with pity; for years they've known people who wanted to be Furher of Amestris or the ruler of Xing and would have done anything to achieve that goal, instead here before them was someone who was terrified about the idea of being the ruler of humanity."

"Historia, nothing is set in stone yet," Hange quickly interjected, trying to ease the anxiety "so it may be the case that you won't be Queen, just try and mental prepare yourself for the possibility for now."

* * *

"Is that her?" asked the guy watching the short blond haired girl as she went around looking at the stalls in the Trost market.

"Fits the description." Said his counterpart "C'mon, lets follow; she might lead us to the Eren." The two blended into the crowd as they watched Historia walk along the main road. Along the way they met up with more of their accomplices. Four men now began to trail her as she made her way through a narrow alleyway towards an abandoned warehouse in the rougher end on the district. They four men made sure to look as though they were minding their own business; idly chatting about the day and even a few of them walking past her, she met up with a boy who had short brown hair.

"That's Eren" whispered one of the men.

"This is almost too easy." whispered another as they followed the two to an abandoned warehouse.

"Why would they leave those two alone without protection?" questioned another. The four men snuck into the warehouse; two of them had taken out a small length of rope while the others took out batons from their side. They quietly moved around, hiding behind the large boxes stacked around the wide space; they watched as the two rummaged through a few small wooden crates. They crept up behind them…

Alphonse watched from on top of a stack of large crates as the four would-be kidnappers crept up on Jean and Armin. He turned towards Levi and Petra who were perched on other stacks of boxes, ready to pounce on them.

"Go now!" Levi ordered as he leapt from the box; he came crashing down into one of the kidnappers and quickly pinned him to the ground. Petra slammed her heel onto the temple of his nearby accomplice and Alphonse kneed the back of the third. The fourth guy charged at Alphonse with his baton; he swung it towards his head, Alphonse quickly ducked under, dodging the attack, he punched the attacker in the gut before grabbing him by the throat and slamming him onto the ground.

Alphonse clapped his hands together and placed them onto the ground; the ground then enveloped them of men as Jean and Armin tied up the others. Sasha and Mina zipped down from the roof of the warehouse and jogged towards Levi and Petra "Was that all of them?" Levi asked.

"That was all of them, sir." Sasha replied.

"Good, tell Connie that the three of you are to do a sweep of the perimeter; make sure nobody else gets to this warehouse." Levi instructed he then turned to the four men lying on the ground as both Sasha and Mina went back onto the roof. "Now… we can make this easy for all us and just tell me who your boss is." The four of them said nothing.

"Okay then…" Levi said "I guess this is how it's going to be…" he grabbed one of the men by the collar and dragged him into an empty room connected to the warehouse. "Alphonse, stay close, I'll call when you're needed." He said as he took out a pair of gloves from a bag. "Petra, bring the bag of gold to Gelgar; the address for the meeting point is in the bag and be discrete."

"Yes, Captain." Petra replied as she picked up the small brown bag and headed out of the warehouse.

Alphonse was left alone with the three captured men; he looked back at the closed door which Levi had dragged one of them into.

 _I may need to rearrange some faces if they don't talk, so you'll need to help patch them up after I'm done…_

Levi's instructions to him before they left the castle still echoed in his head. His memory of Levi's words was quickly interrupted by the sound of muffled scream behind the door. The screaming went on for minutes "I don't know anything!" yelled the guy, his voice muffled through the door. Alphonse could vaguely make out the sound of Levi's voice before the tortured man once more began to let out a pained cry.

"Dimo, it's Dimo Reeves!" yelled one of the captured men next to Alphonse; he turned to look at them and saw a look of complete fear on their faces. None of them wanted to be tortured. Alphonse ran up to the door and pounded his fist onto it.

"Captain, one of the men confessed; they've been hired by Dimo Reeves!" Alphonse yelled. The screaming on the other side of the door came to an abrupt and was quickly followed by a whimpered cry. The door slowly opened before Alphonse to reveal a bloodied and bruised man with his head lying in a small pool of blood. Alphonse stared at the man for a few seconds, aghast at his condition and damage Levi had inflicted.

"Good," Levi replied as he took off the gloves "now see what you can do for him." Levi was about to walk past when Alphonse grabbed his wrist, holding it tightly, catching Levi off guard.

"Captain… don't you think you went too far?" Alphonse questioned as the two made eye contact with each other.

Levi looked away from Alphonse "Maybe… but we got the name of their boss; we've made head way towards our goal and that should be what matters." In one swift motion, Levi freed his wrist from Alphonse grasp. "Now, if you don't mind we all have a job to do and I suggest you get on with yours."

* * *

"Doors open, you can come in." yelled a man from inside the room; Levi opened the door to a nicely decorated office with shelves of books covering one side of the wall and a large polished wood desk in front of a large window overlooking the district of Trost. Behind the desk sat a large man who looked to be in his forties, balding with a thin beard and wore a black leather coat over a grey vest.

"Dimo Reeves…" Levi said

"Captain Levi, to what do I owe the pleasure of this surprise visit?" Dimo asked his tone was a mixture of courtesy and sarcasm.

Levi sat down on an empty chair on the opposite side of his desk and placed a slip of paper in front of him "Commander Erwin has ordered that you be arrested for acting against humanity." Levi said, almost nonchalantly.

"What?" Dimo yelled standing up from his chair "What- on what grounds? I've done nothing wrong!" he declared.

"We've got a confession from the thugs you hired to capture Historia and Eren." Levi stated "You wanted to take one of humanity's greatest assets from the scout regiment, undermining our efforts to defeat the titans." The only response from Dimo was the sound of his teeth grinding in frustration. "Of course… you don't have to spend your days under our custody," Levi suggested "you could tell me who you work for."

Dimo sat back down onto the chair "I'm fucked either way it seems…" Dimo remarked "Royal government got me by my neck; threaten to seize the company, leave hundreds of my staff unemployed and have me and my subordinates killed for good measure. They're making me do this."

"And if you don't follow through the interior MPs would come crashing down on you." Levi said.

"Yeah, but I guess we never had a chance against you… did we?" Dimo chuckled "How the hell do we beat people who kill titans for a living; the people in the interior can be completely oblivious to everything outside of Wall Sina."

"Yet you follow their orders." Levi replied.

"Everything will go to shit otherwise." Dimo stated. "They've got the power in this world and there's nothing I can do otherwise."

"Not unless you join us…" Levi suggested.

"You want me to betray the interior MPs and the royal government?" Dimo questioned in almost complete disbelief "You must be insane."

Levi got up to his chair and walked towards the large glass window and stood next to Dimo as he looked out into Trost district, Dimo flinched slightly as humanity's strongest soldier stood mere inches away from him. "Trost district is a symbol of humanity's victory against the titans but also its weakness against them; we only won that battle because a newly graduated cadet turned into a titan and some random God took enough pity on us to send two people with strange powers to our aid." Dimo turned away from Levi and looked out into the city. "But it's a city that's dying; even with that little act of kindness from the Elrics, nobody wants to live in a city that was attacked by titans and if the Reeves Company disappears then the only people left in Trost would be beggars and soldiers." Levi paused for a second "But what if I said we had a few new tech ideas that could not only keep this city alive but have it and your company booming? And all we need to do it make a change in government." Dimo looked at Levi with an incredulous look, Levi glanced back at Dimo "Alchemy isn't the only thing those two know."

"And what exactly would we have to do it exchange for that?" Dimo questioned.

"Just a few things; one being your full support and trust in future." Levi stated "two being that the scout regiment becomes a priority customer to the Reeves company meaning access to luxury good and products and third being your help in a mission we're planning."

"And what will that be?"

"Capturing the head of the interior MPs."

* * *

Once they'd had gotten back from Trost, Armin went back into the library and poured through his notes as he tried to find out how and where he went wrong; went a pen in hand he began editing his research and writing in suggestions on what could be improved. He leaned back on his chair and sighed to himself.

 _Control…_ he thought _I need to find a way to control it._

He picked up the match box at his side and began examining the transmutation circle drawn on it.

 _Are there different types of this alchemy, if so, which one have I got?_

He wrote a small mention next to the transmutation circle on his notes _larger flame attack? What is the more precise one?_

"Hey Armin" called out a person in the library, Armin turned his head to see Hange walking towards him "Still doing some studying, huh." She then sat down opposite to him.

"I'm trying to figure out where I went wrong; if it's a mistake I've made in my research or if… maybe I'm not cut out for it." Armin said sounding dishearten.

"Hey, cheer up; nobody said we'd be masters at this in the space of a couple days." Hange said, trying to encourage him "And you're basically entering a whole new field for you and Alphonse; you'll get better in time." She finished as she took out a small note book.

"What do you think of this?" said Hange, passing the small book to Armin "I've been trying to make large structure; I figured it'll help us in base building when we got back outside the walls."

Armin took the book from Hange and began reading through her notes; the pages were filled with detail diagrams of walls and small buildings alongside entire pages worth of breakdown of different materials and elements. "Hange, this is amazing." Armin exclaimed as he flicked through the pages.

"Thanks you." Hange replied with a beaming smile.

As Armin flicked through the pages he came across something which caught his eye.

 _Philosopher stone…_

There was little written under the heading but what was had caught his interest; underneath was a sentence saying 'by-pass laws of equivalent exchange' and next to it 'something evil.' "Hange, what's a philosopher stone?"

"I don't really know," Hange replied "Ed and Al only explained the basics of it but didn't want to go any further than that; they said it was something evil and 'only a monster would create such a thing', going so far as to say they would never use one even if they had it." Armin thought about what Hange had told him; something that powerful yet they'd refuse to use it.

"Thank you, Hange." said Armin as he handed the book back to Hange.

Later that day, Armin found Alphonse him in his room; he sitting down next to a window reading through a small note book. "Hello, Armin" said Alphonse as he saw he enter through his door.

"Hey Al, what are you reading?" Armin asked.

"Just some stuff I've been doing on medical alchemy." Alphonse replied as he slipped the book into his trouser pocket. "What'll like to talk about?"

"I read through Hange's note book and found out about something called a 'philosopher stone'." It wasn't hard for Armin to tell that Alphonse had quickly become uncomfortable when he mentioned it. "What is it exactly?"

"It's something you don't need to know." Alphonse replied.

"Why?" asked Armin "Why don't we need to know about it? From what little Hange wrote about it, it said the philosopher stone could by-pass the laws of equivalent exchange and the only other thing was that it was 'something evil.' Would you at least consider making one?"

"No I'm not going to consider it." Alphonse replied in a stern tone. "Because it is something evil."

"Alphonse… the people we're fighting don't care about that." Armin stated "What Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie did five years ago was evil an yet they still did it, what the interior MPs did to pastor Nick was evil an yet they still did it and what the royal government did to those two hundred and fifty thousand people, my own grandfather included, was evil an yet they still did it."

"Do you know what a philosopher stone is made out of?" Alphonse questioned a hint of anger in his voice. "People. The souls of people; trapped and used for nothing but alchemic energy, I'm not going to condemn anyone to that kind of fate."

"I'm not asking you to make one right now, I'm asking that you don't disregard the option so readily." Armin stated, his tone mimicking Alphonse's. The two stared at each other for a seconds before Armin spoke again "Have you ever used one?" he asked.

Alphonse hesitated for a second before answering "Yes…" he admitted "We didn't have a choice in those moments."

"So you admit there were moments where both you and Ed had no other choice but to use them." Armin replied "Don't you think that same thing might happen here?"

"We'll find another way." Alphonse responded, looking away from Armin.

"I once told Jean something; if we are to defeat monsters then we must be able to abandon our humanity and if we refuse to throw away anything then we won't be able to change anything." Armin stated. "You yourself even said that humanity advances if we could break free from rules and laws."

"That is not what I meant!"Alphonse exclaimed "I meant pushing the boundaries of established principles and not being forced to choose between terrible options and instead finding another way."

"I guess we have different interpretations on what it means to move forward." Armin replied.

* * *

"Is this really what you're planning on doing Erwin?" Pixis asked as he rubbed his face with his hand as he pondered over Erwin's declaration. "You really plan on overthrowing the royal government and the king?"

"Yes" he replied, his tone was resolute.

"You realise what this means? You could start a civil war inside these walls and damn all of humanity to ruin; if you were to remove the king do you think everyone will rally behind you?" Pixis questioned "The powers that have governed the people for over a century is not widely hated; yes the situation is terrible but yet public support for them hasn't collapsed because everyone within these walls are bound together by a terrible fate, we are all cornered by the titans and forced into this cramped world, to go to war would mean destroying what will we have left."

"How could you ever go against that and how could you ever change this world without spilling a bottomless lake of blood?"

"We can." Erwin declared "We'll replace the current king and get the support of the vast majority of people. The only thing that will stand in our way is the interior MPs and the royal government itself."

"Was it the scout regiment that let out classified information?" Pixis questioned, yet he knew full well what the answer to that question was. "That was reckless, Erwin."

"It was a gamble that paid off." Erwin replied "Neither the interior MPs nor the government will go after us, at least for now."

"And you have information that would turn the people against their king?" Pixis asked, curiously.

"Yes, over the course of these couple of days new information has been revealed to us; the first was revealed to us by pastor Nick who said that the current royal family who sit on the throne is nothing more than a pretender king and the real king of these walls is Rod Reiss, a regional lord in wall Sina and the second comes from our captured shifter Annie Leonhart, who confessed that Eren's titan has the ability to not only control titans but also the vast majority of people within these walls and as you'd know someone in the capital has been trying to take Eren from the scout regiment since his appearance in Trost, it's all too likely that the reason is to acquire the power of the Coordinate." Erwin paused for a second to allow these revelations to sink in "This also confirms my father's theory; one hundred and seven years ago, the first king of the walls had altered the memories of what was left of mankind to better control them."

"This… this changes things." Pixis remarked "We had first believed that they wanted to kill those three in the courthouse, we resisted because it was foolish to put the hopes of mankind to death. This means they wanted to capture Eren but found no need for the Elrics."

"If seems as though they had." Erwin replied, lowered his head slightly as he recounted those events "Just recently they had been summoned to the chancellery with me to meet with members of the Privy Council; Ed went to meet them and was faced with Rod Reiss who introduced himself as the King's advisor."

"And what did he say?" Pixis asked.

"They wanted to use the Elrics as nothing more than enforcers for their rule and argued that things must remain the same as its how we've all survived up until now." Erwin replied "They don't care for humanity, not even the king cares for us." Erwin eyes looked back up at Pixis "My father was killed for trying to discover the truth and they killed him to protect the status quo. We cannot hand over Eren to them."

"Erwin, if you plan on replacing the king of the walls, how and who will take his place?" asked Pixis.

"Discovering the identity of the true royal family has led to an important revelation" Erwin announced "Rod Reiss had an illegitimate daughter who happens to be a member of the scout regiment; we will tell the people the truth of this world they've lived in for century and install Historia Reiss as Queen of the new regime."

* * *

Hi everyone,

So this chapter took longer than I expected…

Big thank you to Rainsfere for the idea of the Elrics meeting with the royal government; it was both fun and really interesting writing that segment of the chapter.

In light of recent events,

Football's coming home… in either 2020 or 2022. **(;_;)**

In all seriousness, I'm proud of the England team for reaching the semi-finals; as someone who was not into football that much and had fallen out of love with the England team as a child it both weird and awesome feeling that as an adult I'm no longer apathetic about the national team playing in tournaments but excited and even humming along to all the chants when they're playing.


	35. Chapter 35: Crimes not Committed

**Chapter 35: Crimes not Committed**

At the heart of the chancellery is a grand hall; a large throne stands at the head of the hall upon an elevated floor of marble, polished to reflective shine, with crimson red curtains covering the enormous windows that flanked the seat of power and a small table holding a red cushion on which a golden crown rested upon which shun as the light from the candles hit its shiny surface.  
On the seat of the throne and next to the crown was an old man; dressed in fine silks, he sat with his elbow resting on arm rest and his clenched fist holding his head, he drifted between sleep and consciousness as he watched as the king and the members of the assembly sat upon smaller chairs were engaged in a heated debate.

"Have we gotten any word back from Dimo Reeves?" Asked one of the men, a large man dressed in extravagant clothes.

"Nothing yet, no word on whether he had successfully apprehended either Eren Yeager or Historia Reiss." Rod replied, leaning forward in his chair. "If Reeves is unsuccessful in his mission then we will have to quickly dispose of him and find another way to go about capturing them."

"We don't have the time for that!" exclaimed another,he was dressed in the black robes and iron necklace of the clergy, with an anxious look on his face. "Right now, as we speak, commander Erwin and the scout regiment as apprehending our allies and trying to uncover the secrets of the walls! Who knows what Nick had told them before the interior MPs got to him."

"This wouldn't have happened if you had kept your composure during the meeting." commented one of the men. "You and those damn noblemen gave it away; we had to placate Erwin to lower any suspicions he had."

"Now he's on our trail and has enough power to start digging, if Nick is anything to go by then he's seeking out all the right people to find his answers." said Rod.

"Our spies have said that he's had meetings with ranking members of the Garrison, including commander Pixis." Said the tall man dressed in smart clothes. "If I had to guess then I'd say he has the information he wants and is now organizing a coup against the government."

"Not like we have any evidence of that, and even if we did we still couldn't act." stated the large man. "The bastard got it in everyone's head that the royal government has been undermining the recent success of the scout regiment; if we act against him in such a manner then the walls would turn into chaos."

"Or worse, we may have a civil war to deal with." added another.

"What should we do?" asked one of the men, throwing the question to the group.

"There's very little we can do." Rod admitted. "I had hoped that by offering the Elrics an easier path towards their goal they'd join us and help re-establish order in these walls while we'd capture Eren and Historia, but it seems they may be dedicated to the cause of overthrowing us."

"That means we have more than the scouts to contend with." said a member of the assembly. "Should we somehow eliminate Erwin smith and his subordinates then it's likely the Elric brothers would continue to resist us, that being said it seems as though they are unaware of the political capital they have by virtue of their arrival; if word got out that they were sent here by some kind of divine deity... that kind of influence could spark a revolution within its own right."

"Damn it all!" The large man exclaimed as he clenched his fists. "Our backs are up against the wall and all our current efforts have yet to succeed."

"Yikes, with leadership like this I'm surprised humanity has gone to shit already." said a voice coming from the doors; the group of men turned their heads towards the door to see a tall man, with a slender build, wearing a long black coat and bowler hat covering most of his face. He flicked his hat upwards slightly, revealing his long face and rough brown hair and beard.

"Captain Ackerman, to what do we owe the pleasure of your appearance?" said one of the assembly members.

"Well, my lord," He replied in a mocking tone of voice "I couldn't help but overhearin' ya talking about your current predicament, sounds like y'all are caught in a shitty situation and you ain't got the toilet paper to clean yourselves up." He said as he strutted his way towards them. "Everyone you hire is either too incompetent to do their jobs or you can't touch a hair on that bush Erwin calls his eyebrows without making half the walls upset."

"We're quite aware of the situation." Rod replied, from his voice it was clear he was annoyed. "What exactly do you propose then?"

Kenny stared at Rod for a few seconds before a wide grin began to form on his lips. "Why it's simple your highness, just some out of the box thinking, instead of going for the whole scout regiment why not just goes after the guys who are immediately in your way." The way he spoke suggested that the idea was so obvious. "They used the stories of Leonhart's capture and the battle of Stohess to get the regiment in the good graces of the masses and, by extension, Erwin whose the face of the scouts; so why not instead muddy the image of the people who guard Eren and Historia, the special operations unit."

"And how do you propose we do that?" asked one of the assembly members.

"Leave that to me," He replied in a tone which they could only assume was trying to reassure them. "I got it covered." He slips his hand into his coat pocket and pulls out a badge, the rough edges and loose strings connected to it suggested that the badge had been torn from its waist coat; the blue and white wings of the scout regiment with the post listening "Special Operations Unit" on display for all in the room to see. "The guys I took it from didn't need it anyway, on account of them being corpses." He remarked as he slipped the badge back into his pocket with a sly wink to Rod Reiss.

"Very well, we will leave it to you." Rod replied.

In the brightly lit hallways of the chancellery, Kenny leaned up against the wall staring at the ground with a bored expression on his face as he waited beside the door for the king to let him in. The rattling of the door handle and the click of the lock caught his attention as Rod opened the door, peering through the small crack.

"Come in." he said as he allowed Kenny to enter, Kenny walked into the room, he observed the office which Rod occupied; there was nothing special about his work space, some fancy furniture and nice carpets to match the curtains covering, if anyone had entered it they never would have guessed that this is where the king worked in the chancellery. "Take a seat, Kenny." The tone in Rod's voice was cold and unwelcoming.

"Thanks, your majesty." Kenny replied in an almost disrespectful manner as he took his seat at Rod's desk.

"So this plan of yours… how do you intend to go about it?" Rod asked as he peered through the window in his office.

Kenny lifted his legs up and rested them onto the desk as he leaned back in his chair "gonna have to cut a few throats, all of them bein' from big named people, then use the badges to frame the special ops' unit."

"Like who?" Rod asked, glancing back to Kenny.

"One guy that comes to mind is the mayor of Stohess." Kenny replied "Recent attack on the government building and the poor bastard getting roughed up by some thugs, we could probably pin it and his murder on them."

"It would put commander Erwin in a difficult position; condemn the special operations unit, and in extension the Elrics, or side with a bunch of criminals and traitors to the crown." Rod added.

"That's the idea too." Kenny replied. "So… do I have the okay on this?"

"Yes." Rod replied, glancing back at Kenny with a cold look on his face.

"Pleasure doing business with ya, Rod." Kenny replied as he lifted his feet off of Rod's desk and onto the ground, making his way out of his office.

"Kenny." Rod called out just as Kenny fingers touched the door knob. "I'm putting a kill order on Elric brothers; I want you and the interior MPs to eliminate them."

"Sure." Kenny responded as he opened the door. Outside in the hallway he found his second in command waited patiently for him; she had been staring outside of the window at the clear night sky and the busy streets of the capital.

"Captain Ackerman." She said as she placed a clenched fist over her chest.

"Yeesh, you don't have to do all that saluting crap with me." Kenny said, waving his hand dismissively. "So what brings you here?"

She handed him a letter "Letter from Dimo Reeves." Kenny took the letter from her and read its contents.

"So Dimo managed to do it huh." Kenny said, scepticism in his voice "Oh and look at that, he wants me to meet him with Eren and Historia at the abandoned mines and he's even kind enough to provide most of the security for the transfer."

"You think it's a trap?" Traute asked.

"Of course it is, ya idiot." Kenny replied. "Levi must have got to him and Dimo must have cut a deal with the scouts." he waved her along, signalling to follow him. "Still it'd be rude to refuse and hopefully we'd be able to take out Levi's squad in the process."

"Fighting both Levi and the Elrics will be a challenge." Traute commented.

"Trying to kill them will be tough." Kenny responded a sinister grin then began to form on his face. "Killing Levi and capturing the Elrics will be tougher though." Traute looked up at Kenny a little surprised. "Killing those two would be a waste, so I say we capture one of them; who knows they just might be important to helping us realise the grand dream."

"What the plan then, captain?" Traute asked.

"We know where Levi and his team are sleeping, right?" Kenny asked.

"Yes sir." Traute replied.

"I'm gonna need you and a bunch of our guys to sneak into their base." Kenny ordered. "Once inside try to get a feel for the place and keep your eyes on the targets, I doubt Levi would really send Eren and Historia to those mines, also try to find out where they're keeping Leonhart too."

"I won't be accompanying you to the ambush, captain?" asked Traute "it might be dangerous; taking on Levi and the Elrics even with the others backing you up."

"I'll be fine." Kenny replied "Everything that midget knows, I taught him and I can handle a bunch of kid soldiers. Now, if you don't mind, I have a meeting with the mayor tomorrow night."

* * *

"Come in." said a voice on the other side of the door. Kenny gently pushed the door open and walked into the mayor's office. "Captain Ackerman, it's good to finally meet you." He said as he shook Kenny's hand. The mayor was a large man, fat off his wealth and power, with a thin moustache above his lips and short black hair and wore smart dark clothes over a white shirt.

"Sure, so let's get to down to it, tell me what happened that night you got attacked." Kenny asked as he sat down onto an empty chair.

"Yes, it was not that long ago, there was an attack near government building; most of our security left to intercept and control the fire at the warehouse. The thugs managed to enter the building, found his way into my office and then threaten me to keep quiet about what happened during the titans attack on Wall Rose."

"Anything specific or any idea why?" Kenny asked.

"No, he just said to keep quiet about the whole thing." The mayor replied.

"Any kind of description to add?" Kenny asked.

"He was wearing ODM gear, so he must be a soldier or perhaps has some kind of connection to the military."

"Would you say he looked like this?" Kenny asked as he handed him a portrait of Levi

"That's captain Levi." replied the Mayor.

"You've seen him before?"

"Yes, he usually around commander Erwin; I wouldn't say it was him, Levi is rather short while the man who attacked me was about average height and had brown hair slicked back unlike Levi's black hair."

"Hmm… alright, it's not much to go on but we'll work with it." Kenny said as he got up from his chair and walked over to the mayor.

"Thank you, captain Ackerman." The mayor replied as he got up to thank him, the two shook hands and they looked at each other.

"Rest assured mayor." Kenny replied. "We will find your murderer."

"My mur-" Kenny quickly pulled the mayor closer to him, while slipping his left hand into his jacket pocket and with almost disgusting ruthlessness he slit his throat. The mayor tried to scream yet Kenny quickly covered his mouth and held him close as the life quickly poured down his open neck and onto his clothes and the floor. As soon as Kenny let go of him did the mayor's lifeless body collapse onto the ground; Kenny knelt down beside him and placed scout badge into his hand before closing it. Gently and carefully, Kenny began to mess up his office; the chair lying on the ground, a few books scattered across the room, a broken shelf and a bloody knife…

 _It's for a grand dream._

* * *

In the dimly lit cell, underneath the castle, Annie practiced her kicks as far as the chains would allow she tried to thrust her leg upwards while visualizing the rest of her actions. Her body was drenched in sweat as she sat down onto the floor as she took a short break to heal her ankle which had been bruised from the metal cuffs.

 _Soon…_ she thought _I'll find my opening…_ the sound of approaching footsteps catches her attention; Mina, about the only person other person that visits her aside from the guards.

Mina opened the cell door and walked inside; in her hands were a bucket of water and a small piece of cloth, she laid them before Annie sat down while Annie placed the wet cloth over her face to cool down.

"How's your day been?" Annie asked as she wiped around her neck.

"The usual, just guard duty and training." Mina replied, from the way she spoke it seemed as though she was upset about something.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's nothing." Mina said.

"No its not, what's on your mind?" Annie probed.

"Armin had an argument with Alphonse about something and they've been a bit distant now." Mina said "It's just sad to see them like this, I want them to be friends again; they were good friends and it's been hard for hi- them."

 _Hard for him huh..._

"So which one of them do you like?" Annie asked, catching Mina off guard. "It upsets you to see them like this, seeing him in a bad mood."

"I do not." Mina replied defensively.

"It's not Armin; you were just friendly with him, Eren and Mikasa during the cadet corps, so it's Alphonse." Annie deduced. "Infatuated with the guy who saved you in Trost huh? How corny." she teased.

"Oh shut it." Mina replied, a flash of red appearing on her cheeks "You know, Bertholdt had a thing for you."

"Did he?" Annie said, slightly perplexed "I never knew."

"Really?" Mina questioned "He was always staring at you."

 _Huh… I never knew you felt that way, Bertholdt…_

"You guys must have been close for years." Mina said. "Since before you came here."

"Yeah…" Annie replied, looking at the ground sombrely "We were maybe ten or eleven when we…" she stopped, not wanting to finish her sentence.

"We're there more of you?" Mina asked "Other shifters who came here?"

 _Other shifters? Did they send Zeke and Pieck? They don't know about Marcel._

"No, there was another guy with us but he died along the way." Annie said.

"What happened?" Mina asked.

"A titan ate him." She replied. "Five meter."

Mina flinched slightly as she looked to be slightly shaken by what Annie told her; she assumed that Mina must have been disgusted by the idea of a small child being eaten by a titan.

"What did it look like?" Mina asked, her voice shaking slightly.

 _Weird question…_ "Five meters tall, long messy black hair and black eyes with a big head."

* * *

Inside the library, Alphonse observed Hange as she practiced manipulating the fragmented pieces of a blade into different shapes and objects. "Nice work, Hange." Al complemented as he admired the small metal swan that had been made from the broken pieces of a flesh pairing blade.

"Thank you, Alphonse." Hange replied as she picked up the swan and began to admire her own handy work. "Have you been able to practice performing alchemy at a faster pace?"

"I'm getting there; having to come up with all the correct equations, elements and amounts in the space of seconds is pretty tricky." Hange replied.

"Don't worry, you're making good progress." Alphonse assured her. "Okay, let's move on to-" suddenly the library door slammed open, interrupting Alphonse and stealing their attention; it was Mina.

"Sorry you guys, squad leader Hange I think I might have found out something important from Annie."

"Alright, we'll discuss this in my study." Hange said as she got up from the table. "We'll have to do this another time, Alphonse."

"Of course" Alphonse replied. Hange quickly left the room; Al could hear them jog down the hallway as the sound of their running echoed off the stone walls. He began to organise his notes and leave when a knock on the open door caught his attention, he turned to see Armin at the doorway, holding a bunch of papers in his hands. The two stared at each other for a few seconds in silence, waiting to see who would talk first.

"Hello, Al." Armin was the first to speak.

"Hello Armin." Alphonse replied; the tension in the room was uncomfortable for both of them, Armin stepped inside and sat opposite to Alphonse.

"Alphonse, I've been giving it some thought and… I want to say that accept your judgement on it."

It

He didn't want to say was "it" was but the two knew exactly what he was talking about. "You're right in saying that it's something evil, that's not up for debate; I want to believe that we'll defeat Reiner, Bertholdt, the beast titan and whoever's behind this without having to resort to such a terrible weapon."

Alphonse sighed softly as a feeling of relief came over him at what Armin had said. "I'm glad you feel that way, Armin."

"If those three are really what stands in our way, if they're the biggest challenge we have to overcome, then I think we'll be able to do this without having to sacrifice our humanity." Armin sighed slightly "but…" and with that Alphonse felt his heart drop. "We know so little about the enemy and we don't know if those three really are the best that they can throw at us; I'm scared that what we're facing now will only be the beginning of our problems or that whoever or whatever is trying to kill humanity might have some kind of immense power that we can't match." Armin and Alphonse both looked each other in the eyes; Alphonse didn't like what Armin was saying but he could tell neither did Armin. "We shouldn't have to use something like that, but at the same time, we shouldn't totally rule it out."

Alphonse took in a deep breath before gently sighing "Armin, in the past I, my brother and our friends had to face people who had more stronger and more powerful than us; we didn't have to do terrible things unless only absolutely necessary, we had to fight a person who tried to be God, trust me when I say that I doubt there's anything the beast titan has or this world has that can match us." Alphonse knew that the task ahead of them would be immense but he believed that will eventually overcome it; the most dangerous threat to them seemed only to be the titans.

 _If we can find a way to beat them or… maybe turn them back into humans then we'd have left these people being better off._

"I hope you're right, Alphonse." Armin replied as he laid out his notes.

"I know so." Alphonse declared with a soft smile. "So, let's get down to it; anything new on your research?"

"I've been going over what went wrong and I think I know why; a slight modification to the transmutation circle will either result in explosions or flames.

"Interesting, I remember Roy Mustang had two gloves which differed on the type of flames he produced." Alphonse mentions.

"So that must be it." Armin replied "Of course, now we have to find out what changes need to be made."

"Alright then, so we know what we have to do." Alphonse replied as he went over the flame circle.

* * *

In the large mess hall, Levi squad and Hange's team leaders met once more to discuss their next move; accompanying them was Dimo Reeves and his son Flegel. Some sat down while others stood up as they waited for everyone to arrive.

"Good work, Nifa" Levi said as he handed her a mug of water "I know it must not be easy to make those night runs."

"Thank you, Captain." Nifa replied as she wiped her mouth.

"So Hange can't make it?" Levi asked as he turned to his squad

"No sir, she left to relay the information I got to commander Erwin." Mina replied.

Levi sighed "Right before we this, damn it shitty glasses." Levi remarked. "Alright, let's get started then, so the Reeves Company has agreed to work alongside us in our plans and have helped set up the next mission." The group all turned towards Dimo and Flegel who had sat silently.

"Thank you for the trust, soldier." Dimo replied "I hope you'll honor your end of the agreement. "

"We will, that I can promise." Levi replied.

"Hope you don't mind me bring my son along." Dimo said as he placed his hand roughly on top of Flegel's head.

"No, its fine" Levi replied "If he's with the company then we can trust him like I trust you. Welcome Flegel, hope you're comfortable." He said in an almost dull tone, while not comforting was a stark difference from his usual intimidating one.

"Levi huh?" Flegel replied "If you wanted to make us feel comfortable then how about some snacks." Everyone looked in the room looked at Flegel, shocked that this chubby young guy could be extremely rude to humanity's strongest soldier.

Dimo slapped his slap on the back of his head "Sorry, kid still got a lot to learn; we'll leave if you want so just quickly fill us in."

"It's fine." Levi replied. "What we're planning here is the decisive next steps in our mission." Levi shifted his head slightly towards Historia who had been sitting quietly next to Armin and Jean. "Historia, have you come to terms with the whole 'queen of the walls' role."

Historia didn't respond at first, instead she balled her hands into a fist and took a deep breath as if she was summoning her courage. "No." she stated, all eyes suddenly fell on her. "I won't accept it; I can't be the queen of humanity."

"Even though you promised the commander that, if needed, you will carry out any role that was needed of you?" Levi questioned, his voice was still calm.

"I didn't think it would involve me becoming the ruler of humanity." Historia retorted "You're asking for too much."

Levi then approached her "You're right, we are asking for too much, but you seem to be mistaken on one thing." He stopped, coming face to face with her; the tension in the room was now boiling over as everyone waited for something to happen. "That you have a chose in this matter." He then grabbed Historia but her collar and raised her from her seat held her up into the air, suffocating her as she struggled to break free. Almost everyone in the room watched both shocked and scared as Levi began to manhandle her. "If you don't want to be queen then run, fight, do everything you possibly can to stop us because we won't stop until your ass is sitting on that throne."

"Captain, stop this!" Connie urged.

"I guess this is how it's going to be." Levi said. "If you don't like it then fight back." Suddenly Levi felt a hand grip his shoulder tightly; he turned to see Ed look down at him, anger written all over his face.

"Let. Go." Ed growled as his hand's grip on Levi's shoulder tightens. The team leaders began to move in until Levi held up hand; signalling them to stand back.

Levi dropped Historia onto the floor, causing her to fall onto her knees as she began to violently cough; her friends quickly went to check on her, Ed turned his head back to see if she was okay. Suddenly he felt his wrist come under intense pain as he turned his head back to Levi grabbing Ed's arm as he tried to remove Ed's hand from his shoulder.

The two of them glared at each other as neither wanted to back down; despite the pressure Levi was placing on Ed's wrist, Ed was refusing to let up. "Let go, Ed." Levi ordered.

"Make me." Ed replied, grimacing from the pain.

"Alright." With his free hand Levi grabbed Ed's collar, pulled his forward then pushed him; sending Ed crashing into the ground. Levi squad's attention quickly turned from Historia and to Ed and Levi. Ed quickly got off the floor; he turned his attention quickly back to Levi and marched over to him.

"Ed, stop!" Petra ordered as she stood in between both him and Levi. Ed continued to glare at Levi before taking a few steps back.

"Captain, you're gone too far!" Jean yelled.

Levi turned to look at the scared and disgusted faces of his squad, Alphonse stepped forward, a disapproving look in his eyes. "That was uncalled for." Alphonse said with a stern tone.

"Alphonse, why did you let those titans live?" Levi questioned, taking Alphonse by surprise. "When the titan horde came down on us, you went out of your way to make sure you didn't kill them. Did the idea that they were human suddenly stop them from being humanity's greatest threat in your mind? What will you do when we inevitably have to face them once more? Will you try to save them, even when they devour hundreds of our comrades?"

"I… I didn't give up on myself, so I'm not giving up on them." Alphonse declared. Almost everyone in the room was confused by what Alphonse meant, all except Ed and Eren who knew. "We'll find another way."

"Okay, you go find another way while I do what's necessary." Levi replied, throughout this entire sequence of events his voice never wavered nor did it get raised yet nobody but him commanded the authority in the room. "What do you see yourselves doing tomorrow?" he asked, it was a simple question yet… "Will you have food on the table, will you get a goodnight's rest and will those around you be there tomorrow? These aren't things that normal people worry about on a daily basis; that's means I'm abnormal, likely because I've seen too many abnormal things. But… if Wall Rose were breached tomorrow and we faced an emergency then I'd be faster than any of you to react… to fight." Everyone listened silently as Levi lectured them.

"I'll fight, even if I have to face the hell of tomorrow again. You're all seen terrible things too and you might very well see more terrible things tomorrow." Levi pauses for a moment and took a deep breath. "I want to end this recurring nightmare and there are those who would stand in my way. But I'm fine with playing the role of the lunatic who kills people; I have to be ready to rearrange some faces because the hell of humans killing each other is better than the hell of being eaten, at the very least not all of humanity will be damned. But if we can quickly seize control of this world then we could avoid the deaths of a lot of people, and wouldn't that be nice?" he walked up to Historia, looking down at her. "So Historia, what's it gonna be? Will play your part or stand up and fight me; I don't care which just…

" **CHOOSE NOW, WE DON'T HAVE TIME!"** Levi yelled as he knelt down onto the ground to come face to face with her.

"I'll do it!" Historia cried. "I'll become the queen."

"Good." Levi replied, switching back to a calmer tone as he helped Historia from the ground. "We'll be counting on you, Historia." Levi shifted his eyes back towards his squad; all of whom had a look of either disapproval or anxiety. "Nifa, what were the orders from Erwin?"

"Right, commander Erwin has set out a four stage plan: first, we will proceed with the mission to capture the head of the interior MPs and interrogate him or her for the location of Rod Reiss; the Reeves Company has set up the location and the time for the transfer, because of what we know and the extent to which the powers Eren's titan is capable of we cannot risk either Eren or Historia in this operation and as such they shall remain guarded in their current location."

"Secondly, once we have uncovered his location we will leak the information surrounding the powers of the coordinate and its relations to the people of the walls as well as the Fritz royal family being imposters, once that has happened then, hopefully, the royal government will have collapsed and we'd had taken control of the government apparatus with the help of our allies in the garrison with the full support of the public."

"Thirdly, we'll apprehend Rod Reiss and install Historia Reiss as the queen and help in forming a new government."

Nifa paused for a second "And finally… the scout regiment will aid in establishing the dominance of Historia's rule and 'sweep away' any remnants of the former government; from the interior MPs to any loyalists noble lords." The last part lingered in everyone's minds.

 _Sweep away…_

"So it doesn't matter who we work with, we're still dogs of the military." Ed remarked.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Levi questioned. "You signed up for the regiment so you'll do as your commander tells you."

* * *

Inside the armory, Petra began to inspect her equipment as she prepared for the first stage of Erwin's plan. "Petra." Levi called out; Petra turned her head to see Levi standing at the doorway.

"Sir" Petra replied as she saluted him "what the problem?"

Levi walked into the armoury "I'm placing you in charge of the capture mission." Petra stared at Levi, shocked.

"You're not going to lead it, why?" Petra asked.

"The way things went during that briefing I don't think I have their trust at the moment, which could compromise the mission, so I'm asking you to lead them."

"You can count on me, sir." Petra replied resolutely.

"Thank you." Levi responded "So, you'll need to organise an away team."

"Ed has experience with you so he'll have to come with us; Mikasa is still in recovery so Alphonse will have to take her place, Jean and Armin will be needed to play as decoys for Eren and Historia and finally Mina."

"Mina?" Levi asked.

"I think she'll be able to prove herself in this operation." Petra replied.

"It's your call." Levi stated. "The rest will help in guarding the castle; they'll show the new guards around."

"There are new guards coming?" Petra asked.

"Yeah, we got a message from Pixis recently, saying that some of Ian's men are coming to help man the castle; he's on our side so I believe we can trust them. Organise your team and I'll meet you at the gate." Levi turned back and walked out of the armoury.

Petra wondered around the castle as she looked for the others, she heard a voice that sounded like Dimo Reeves come from the other side of an open door. She peered through to see Ed and Alphonse explaining to Dimo and Flegel about Ed's automail leg while Eren and Historia watched.

"Hello Petra" Alphonse said as he spotted Petra.

"Ed and Al, you guys need to get ready, we're moving out soon." Petra said, she turned to Historia who was sitting quietly "Historia, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." She replied with a gloomy expression on her face.

"What Levi did went too far." Ed said as he rolled his trouser leg down.

"Yeah, if you hadn't went up to him I'd of done it myself." Flegel remarked proudly, everyone in the room looked at Flegel like he said the most ridiculous thing they'd ever heard. "What?"

"Sorry for my idiot son, Lieutenant." Dimo said "Look you guys, I know you must be angry at Levi but when he spoke to me about improving the situation around Trost district and about trusting us, I believe he's telling the truth even when he's could just beat us all senseless and get what he wants like that. He knows what it means to have nothing; he's not a bad guy, am I correct in saying that, Lieutenant?"

"Yeah, he's just a bit awkward and blunt at times." Petra replied.

"If you don't mind me saying this, Lieutenant" Dimo turned to Historia "Missy… sorry, your highness; once you become queen, smack him and tell him this 'I dare you to hit me back." Petra was taken aback from the request, she was about to say something when both Eren and Ed began to egg Historia on.

"Yeah, you should do that." Eren said smiling.

"Get some pay back and the best part is he can't do anything about it." Ed added.

"Brother…" Alphonse said, disapproving of the whole thing.

"Alright, enough of that, Ed and Al get ready; I want you in your gear and at the gate." Petra ordered.

A couple minutes had passed and Petra, along with those she had chosen for the mission, began to enter into the Reeves company wagon.

"You got everything?" Dimo asked as they seated themselves in the wagon.

"We're got everything." Petra replied.

"Good, it's gonna be a long ride." Dimo said as he lowered the tarp over the entrance. "Wait for these garrison soldiers to go through." They could hear the sound of horses passing through and the chattering of people around them.

"You guys okay?" She asked as she looked around at the faces of her squad mates; some looked anxious, others looked calm and collected, while Ed had already begun to fall asleep.

"Yeah, I'm just glad I just have to wear the wig." Armin replied as he tugged in his raincoat.

"Its better if we all have ODM gear on." Petra said "The cover story is that they found Eren and Historia like that."

As the wagon began to move, Petra peered through the cover to see the scouts and Captain Levi greeting the garrison soldiers. Levi was shaking one soldier's hand; it was a woman of average height, thin build with blond hair tied back, the garrison soldier turned her head towards the wagon and Petra could have sworn she saw her and smiled.

* * *

"Ed, Al and Mina, your job is to handle any of the guards" Petra ordered, she wore a large coat to hide her ODM gear. "Keep watch in the trees, I'll stay with Jean and Armin in the mines."

"Okay." Ed replied, they fired their cables into the trees and reeled themselves upwards; the leaves shook as they brushed past them and landed onto the branches. Ed watched as Petra entered into the mines, he turned to his left see Alphonse in the next tree; he crouching down onto a high branch watching the road.

The sound of horses pulling a carriage caught his attention; from his high vantage point Ed could make it out to be a small black carriage. It stopped at the entrance; the doors open and a group of five men dressed in black came out and greeted the Reeves men at the entrance to the mine. Their black hats covered their faces, hiding themselves from Ed as he tried to get a good look at them.

 _Why did I pick so high a spot?_ He thought berating him _I can't see shit._

He watched as one of the men entered into the mines as the rest waited outside _that must be our guy…_ Ed looked over to Alphonse and Mina who both seemed to be getting ready to take out bodyguards _Petra, Armin and Jean have to capture the guy, we'll take these guys on._

Suddenly the man walked out of the mines along with Dimo Reeves as two of the other guys entered the mines _what the…_ the two strolled into the forest, Ed watched as they got closer to the tree he hid in. As they stood underneath it, both he and Al listened in on their conversation.

"By the way, Reeves." said the man in the black coat; his voice seemed familiar to Ed, like he had heard it before. "Do you know a guy named Levi Ackerman?"

It didn't take long for Ed to realise.

' _You know who that guy was, don't you?'_

' _Yeah, I did…'_

He recalled that conversation with Levi but… _Ackerman? Mikasa… is Levi related to her? Is that guy related to her, to them?_ The same guy who attacked Mikasa could be related to her, that thought confused Ed _How, when, what? This guy's the head of the interior MPs? It can't be…_

"Levi Ackerman? Never heard his full name before." Dimo responded "I'm sure everyone has heard of him; he's also the guy looking to kill us since we capture those brats, but you'll do something right?"

"I taught him a lot" said the man.

 _So that's how you know him, Levi…_

"That midget is my pride and joy." in one swift motion the man pulled Dimo Reeves close and sliced opened his neck as the two other guards shot the Reeves men standing outside and the sound of more gunshots echoed from within the mines.

 _OH SHIT!_

Ed quickly jumped off his tree branch; he positioned his leg ready to strike at his head. The guy quickly looked up and saw Ed descending on him; the two quickly got a look at each other. He was that guy that attacked them in the alleyway. He quickly raised his arm and blocked Ed's kick; Ed bounced off his arm and onto the ground.

"Same move? You disappoint me." said the old man as he smiled at Ed. Quickly the two other guards ran towards Ed, coming at him from both sides, when both Alphonse and Mina slammed into them and pinned them to the ground.

"Mina, go check on the others!" Ed yelled, as Mina rushed towards the mines Ed turned his attention back at the old man "Just who the hell are you?"

"The name's Kenny." He replied.

"Oh my God!" Flegel cried as he knelt over his father's corpse.

"Did you get him?" Petra yelled as she, Armin, Jean and Mina ran up to him and Al. Ed quickly noticed that her blades were dripping in blood.

"I see you took care of those two." Kenny said as he looked over to Petra.

"How the hell did you find out?" Petra questioned as she raised her blade toward him.

"I take it Levi's not here." Kenny said. "Shame, I wanted to see that little shit again."

"Answer the question!" Petra demanded as she pressed the end of her blade to his neck.

"Have you ever killed anyone before you killed my men?" Kenny asked "Developed a taste for it?" he deliberately ignored the question. "Tell me missy, did Levi ever teach you about cornerin' a rat before?"

"What?" Petra exclaimed.

"Cornering a rat?" Armin muttered; a frightening realisation came to him "Guys it a trap!" He yelled. The violent rustling of the trees leaves quickly caught their attention as they looked up to see people, dressed in what looked to be ODM gear, fly above them.

 _They don't have blades…_ Ed thought as he watched them _those are…_ "Everyone, get down!" he yelled as a volley of shots were fired from on high and struck the ground around them,

In the confusion, Kenny quickly rushed Ed; he tried to pin him to the ground and raise his knife upwards to stab his hand but Ed kicked him off with his left leg and sent him back, Kenny cushioned the blow with a quick block, and the two quickly got up to their feet. The rest of the team quickly moved towards cover as tried to avoid the hail of gun fire from the sky.

"Scatter and pick 'em off!" Kenny ordered, he turned back to see Ed who had taken out his second blade "Leave this runt to me." He said as he readied his knife.

"Ed!" Alphonse yelled as he tried to rush over to his brother, suddenly he was tackled to the ground by Mina as they narrowed missed the next volley of shots coming from the MPs.

"Damn it, I missed!" yelled one of the MPs

"Everyone, prepare to fall back!" Petra ordered "Armin, Jean grab Flegel!" the two had been taking cover behind some trees when they ran over to Flegel. "Al, Mina, move in to support Ed!"

"Damn it, we've got nothing to hit back with!" Jean yelled.

Alphonse watched as Kenny once more rushed towards Ed; his large knife clashed with his blades as the two were locked in a struggle. Al and Mina rushed towards him when the tree they passed suddenly exploded, sending shards of wood towards them, one of which stuck Mina's back as they collapsed back onto the ground.

"Mina!" Al yelled as he quickly got up; he grabbed Mina from under her arm and tried to drag her towards cover.

"In front of you!" Jean yelled, alerting Alphonse; he looked to see three of them flying towards him, their guns pointed at him and Mina. He knew he couldn't react fast enough to transmute when they'd already had their weapons pointed at him and he couldn't drop Mina and leap out of the way.

 _Had I'd still been a suit of armour I wouldn't have to worry about getting shot_ he thought grimly.

Suddenly a large wall of fire engulfed the MPs coming towards them; the MPs screamed in agony as they were unexpectedly being burned alive, their unbearable pain quickly ceasing as they crashed into the ground.

Alphonse turned to see Armin with a match box and burnt match in his hands. "We have to go!" Armin yelled, there was a look of anger on his face. "The fire should hold them off!" Al turned back towards Ed and Kenny; a wall of fire and burning trees separated him from Alphonse and the others.

"Ed!" Alphonse yelled.

Ed kicked Kenny back and took a few steps back himself in an effort to give himself some space, he looked towards Alphonse through the burning trees and shrubbery. _Flame Alchemy… Armin managed to do it…_

"After those rats!" Kenny yelled "Don't let them escape!" on the other side of the forest, which hadn't been set on flames, more of the MPs flew towards them.

"Al, just run!" Ed yelled "I'll find another way out!" the fire grew in intensity and quickly the sight of his brother was blocked by a thick cloud of black smoke.

"You're not going anywhere." Said Kenny, Ed turned to see him right just inches away from him. Ed quickly moved to the side as he saw Kenny swing his knife at him, Ed swings his blade at him but Kenny grabs him by the wrist and slashes at a cable connected to his gear.

 _What the hell?_ Kenny then punches Ed in the gut and quickly pries one of the blades from Ed before sending him back with a powerful kick. Ed crashes onto the ground, he could feel the burning heat all around him, he looked up to see Kenny staring at him from the same spot, holding one of his blades.

"Now it's a fair fight." Kenny said as he slowly walked towards him "Show me what you're made of, runt."

Ed quickly got up to his feet and glared at Kenny, he gripped the handle of his only blade with both hands "You're gonna regret that!" he yelled as he and Kenny charged towards each other.

* * *

Hello everyone,

Sorry this took a while; I was on holiday abroad and didn't get much writing done.

I say this before but thank you for the now over 110 favorites; it really means a lot of me.

A while back I mentioned that I had hoped to reach the Marley arc by the end of the summer; however certain things happened in my life and also the story plan for this arc had to be changed and improved.

So my hope is that we'll reach the end of the Uprising arc instead.


	36. Chapter 36: Backed into a Corner

**Chapter 36: Backed into a corner**

Ed stuck his blade into Kenny's, almost pushing him off his feet, Kenny quickly dug his heels into the ground and pushed back; he swiftly swung his blade at Ed but Ed quickly blocked the attack which forcing the two into a standoff.

"You're pretty tough." Kenny said, smiling; using his strength he pushed back at Ed, Ed collapsed onto the ground but quickly back into a standing position, he once more "For a runt."

"Don't call me a runt, creep." Ed shot back. The two began to circle each other as the forest around them continued to burn.

Kenny charged towards Ed once more, Ed quickly dropped his blade and clapped his hands together; a large stone fist burst from the ground and towards Kenny. Kenny ducked under the incoming fist as Ed picked up his blade and ran up the arm "You missed!" Kenny laughed. Ed leapt off from the side, fired his hook onto the wrist of the arm and swung towards the left side of Kenny.

"You sure about that?" Ed retorted as he slammed the foot of his boot into Kenny's chest, catching him by surprise, he dropped his blade as the kick sent him tumbling onto the ground as Ed landed back onto his feet.

"Crafty little shit." Kenny coughed as he got up from the ground. Ed quickly charged towards Kenny; Kenny lurched forward with a strike from his right fist but Ed quickly ducked under, dodging the attack, and landed a swift punch onto the right side of his cheek.

 _Huh…_ Kenny thought as his head slammed into the ground _he could have killed me but…_ Ed launched another punch, a hard left, towards Kenny's head once more; Kenny quickly moved his head to the side, avoiding the attack, and threw a counter punch which landed right into Ed's right cheek, dazing Ed as Kenny kicked him in the stomach which sent Ed flying back and crashing into the ground, giving Kenny enough time to get back on his feet.

Ed quickly picked himself off the ground and knelt on the spot as he waited for the pain to subside. "You realise how shit of a situation you are in, right?" Kenny taunted "Your friends and brother are probably long gone by now and you're stuck with me." Kenny picked up his sword once more and pointed it towards Ed who glared at Kenny "Only one of us is leaving alive." Ed stood back up and charged towards Kenny _let's see if you got it in you…_ Kenny slashed his sword as Ed approached him, but the attack was too early and left his body open to a possible stab from Ed's sword. But Ed didn't stab Kenny; instead he bashed the handle of his blade into Kenny's stomach as he threw an upper cut into Kenny's chin. Kenny staggered back _Guess you didn't…_ Ed tried to slash his sword into Kenny's hand, in an effort to force him to drop his weapon, Kenny quickly dodged the attack; he stepped back and slashed at Ed's arm.

"Ah!" Ed yelled as he clutched onto the newly open up on his arm. Ed quickly moved back and made a wide swing at Kenny in an attempt to scare him off but instead Kenny skilfully sidestepped the attack and made a quick slash at Ed's left side, Ed's clothes were now stained in his blood. Ed fell to his knees; Kenny eyed Ed's hand and aimed to chop off his hand, cutting of Ed's ability to perform alchemy, Ed quickly moved back and dodged the attack; he clapped his hands together and grabbed the dull side of the blade.

The flesh-pairing blade shattered into pieces, Ed got up into a crouch and flipped backwards with one leg out to strike Kenny in the face again; Kenny grabbed Ed's leg and threw Ed as far as he could. Ed crashed into a tree and onto the ground. Kenny walked towards Ed, confident in his victory, until a barrage of fists spurt from the ground; Kenny staggered back, barely avoiding the stone hands. So focused on the attack he didn't see Ed run up on the arms of one the fists as he leapt from the hand and stuck Kenny in the head with his right foot. Kenny quickly rolled backwards and jumped back onto his feet as Ed landed back onto the ground.

"Still got some fight in you." Kenny commented, he pulled out his knife. "This is gettin' real tedious." Kenny sprinted towards Ed and Ed leapt back, clapping his hands together and placing them onto a burning tree; a fiery pendulum swung from the branches and towards Kenny, Kenny leaned back, narrowly avoiding the attack. Just as he was about to lean forward Ed grabbed Kenny by the neck and slam him down onto the ground, he clapped his hands again and transmuted shackles around Kenny's arms and legs, holding him in place.

Ed knelt down and grabbed Kenny by his collar with his left hand and pulled his head forward before he threw hard punch directly into Kenny's face. Kenny felt a warm fluid run from his nose and down his mouth. "Blood," Kenny muttered "it's been a while since mine had been spilt." Ed dropped Kenny's collar, letting his head fall to the ground, as he sat on the ground; the heat and smoke that surround them was becoming suffocating.

It was like a hell on earth.

Ed looked back at Kenny; he knew he had to escape this forest before either the fire or the MPs moved in to kill him, in that moment he wondered whether he should just escape or try to fulfill the mission with Kenny, his target, lying helpless before him. He placed his hand at his side and over his wound.

 _What do I do?_ Ed thought to himself. As he pondered this he felt the icy touch of the rain drops fall on his head and his body _At least I'm not going to burn to death_ he thought. He clapped his hands together and placed them onto his body and arm, blue sparks formed from his hands as he sealed his wounds as best he could. He got up from the ground, the rain grew more and more, he clapped his hands and held out his right hand to the side; a long halberd rose from the ground and into Ed's hand, he picked up the halberd and pointed it towards Kenny's neck.

"You're gonna tell me where Rod Reiss is." Ed demanded; without the rest of the team he couldn't bring Kenny back, it would be too risky letting him out of those shackles after Ed just managed to beat him. He was going to try his luck and get Kenny to confess here.

"You what are gonna do? Stab me?" Kenny questioned "You don't have the guts." Ed pressed the halberd against Kenny's neck "Kid, have you ever fought dirty before?"

"All's fair in a fight to the death." Ed responded.

"Fair point," Kenny laughs "The thing is… I don't fight fair either." Suddenly three MPs burst from the trees and pointed their guns towards them "You think I'd really fight someone like you alone?" Kenny taunted.

 _I thought they were all chasing the others!_ Ed thought, he quickly clapped his hands together and slammed them onto the ground to transmute a wall to cover him from the incoming attacks; two loud shots from the MPs tore through the wall and the third shot, directed at Ed, was more subdued. It struck his neck, Ed panicked as he quickly placed his hand on his neck; he expected to feel a flood of blood from a bullet but instead he felt something sticking out. He pulled the dart out and stared at it for a second.

 _Oh shit…_ Ed thought.

Almost instantly he began to feel dizzy; his eyes felt heavy as the tranquilizer dart took effect. An MP landed onto the ground and charged towards him; Ed slammed the blunt end of his Halberd into their head. He quickly threw the halberd at another MP gliding around him; the weapon missed but knocked the MP from his course and gave Ed just a few seconds to act.

 _Stay awake!_ He thought to himself as fiddled with the sole handle to his ODM gear; he could feel himself slipping away as tried to aim the barrels of the hooks towards the furthest tree branch. Just as Ed pulled the trigger he felt the butt of a handgun slam into the back of his head, knocking into the ground.

 _Shit! No! I can't go out like this!_ His thoughts ran frantic in his head _Alphonse… Winry, I have to see them again!_ _I can't die here!_ _ **I can't die here!**_

He was almost out but his determination and fear kept him conscious. As he felt a hand grab onto his shoulder, using almost everything he had, he flipped himself around and slammed his left leg into the ribs of his attacker which sent them tumbling off to the side. Ed quickly got up to his feet once more, stumbling around as he fought to keep his eyes open, he saw the MP that he kicked clutching at their ribs as they struggled to breathe.

 _Is that person…_ he thought,suddenly the sound of another person charging towards him catches his attention, he stumbled back as his attacker tried to slam the butt of his gun into Ed's temple and struck the attacker in the gut with his right fist, winding his opponent. Just then he felt another shot hit him in the back of his neck. He collapsed face first onto the soaking wet grass and desperately tried to drag himself away until someone stomped onto his back and held him in place.

"Like I said, you're a tough runt." Kenny said as he knelt by Ed's head.

 _How'd he get out?_

"You almost had me, you could have finished me, but you just didn't want to get your hands dirty." Even through his hazy vision he saw Kenny look off to the side "Well… at least not yet." Kenny stood up, looming over him, as he lifted up his foot and brought it down onto Ed's face.

* * *

In a small abandoned outpost, along the outskirts of the forest, Petra's team lay low as they licked their wounds and waited out the day. Jean stood by the window; peering every so often through the curtains while Alphonse sat near him, wondering whether Ed had made it out, Flegel sat in the corner of the room sobbing over the death of his father, Armin had locked himself inside the outpost's bathroom while Petra tended to Mina's wounds in its empty barracks. The door to another room clicked open as Petra entered into the main area.

"Anything to report?" asked Petra.

"So far I haven't seen any of them." said Jean "I think we lost them."

"How's Armin?" Petra asked.

"He's still in the bathroom." Alphonse replied; just as he said that the sound of someone violently vomiting in the next room could be heard through the decaying walls of the outpost.

"Thank you back there, Petra." Jean said "Back at the cave you stopped those guys before they could kill us." Alphonse thought back to when he saw them and the blood running off Petra's blades. "I thought we were done for."

"None of you are dying under my watch," Petra replied "that I can promise you." Petra's expression turned gloomy as she finished her sentence. She sighs "Alphonse, I'm sorry about Ed." She said looking at him "I promise will go back for him soon."

"This isn't the first time we've been separated." Alphonse replied "He's thrown himself into more dangerous places before and has always gotten out; I have faith in him that he'll do the same again."

Petra nodded her head "We'll get back to the castle, tell Levi about what happened, Flegel will be placed under Hange and her team's care and head back to look for Ed, getting back on foot will take about a day's walk." She informed them. "Al, could you help fix up Mina?" she asked"I've done what I can with the wooden splinters; you'll just need to seal the wound."

"Of course" Al stood up and headed towards the barracks; the room had three empty bunk bed frames and two broken windows which had been hastily boarded up. In the middle of the room Mina sat on a wooden stool with her back towards the door; her blood stained shirt and ODM gear strapped sat next to her, showing her exposed back and gaping wound. A single lantern sat to her left, creating a small island of light in the middle of a dark room.

"Al?" Mina said as she turned her head back as far as she could without moving her entire body.

"Yeah" Al replied as he approached her "Just… don't turn around." He said as he knelt down behind her. He hadn't felt this awkward than when he had to hitch a ride on Mina back in Trost.

"I won't" Mina replied with a sad and very short laugh, a failed attempt to lighten the mood and ease the awkwardness. Alphonse pressed his hands together and placed fingers around the wound; the room was lit up in a blue light as he began sealing the wound. "I'm sorry about Ed," she said, her hands which were resting on her knees began to clench into a fist "if I hadn't got hit then… you might have gotten to him and we wouldn't have left him."

"Don't blame yourself." Alphonse replied as the wound sealed.

"Ed's fighting that guy by himself, you think he could handle him?" she asked.

"That guy, Kenny, he was fast but we've fought others like him and tougher than him." Alphonse said "Even if Ed couldn't beat him now, we will eventually."

 _He's just another name in a long line of people we've had to face_ Alphonse thought, trying to reassure himself.

* * *

Inside the Scout regiment's Trost district division headquarters, Hange sat with Erwin as she began to explain the new information divulged from Annie.

"Annie stated that a five meter titan had eaten one of their friends before they had launched their attack on the walls." Hange said as Erwin poured her a glass of water "The description of the titan matched Ymir's titan; it's highly possible that Ymir was one of the titans who wondered outside the walls and that by devouring a shifter she was able to turn back into a human."

"It is a possibility." Erwin said as he passed Hange a glass of water. "But it could be possible that she's lying; for all we know the beast titan could be their fourth shifter."

"I thought of that too, but there's a problem in that beast titan appeared years after, very suddenly, rather than with them; so he's either been in hiding all these years among the general populous or he's only recently shown up to check on them and judging from the reports by Eren and Alphonse during their captivity, it seems neither Reiner or Bertholdt knew of his arrival."

"Okay, we'll go off on the idea that Ymir did eat a fourth member." Erwin replied.

"The implication of this would mean a human who had been turned into a titan and eats another human who can transform into a titan will turn back into a human, however they'll also possess the ability to transform into a titan at will." Hange quickly drank from her glass of water before continuing "It explains why Reiner threw those titans at us as he was hoping one of them would devour Eren so they could more easily snatch away the power of the coordinate."

"That must be how they plan to gain the powers of the coordinate." Erwin added "By having someone else, someone loyal to them, devour Eren."

"Yes, it's a good thing we have Eren guarded away." Hange said "We couldn't afford to lose someone this powerful."

"Most of the manpower we could mobilize without creating suspicion has been focused on guarding Eren and Historia, seeing as they're crucial to our plans, or working with our allies. That's also meant we couldn't scout out the Reiss estate; hopefully Levi squad will have apprehended the head of the Interior MPs and acquired Rod's location." Erwin stated.

"Back to the subject of transferring titan powers, if Eren is nothing more than an interchangeable vessel than the same could also be said for Annie Leonhart." Hange said "Potentially we could have another titan shifter to add to our ranks and if we can acquire the knowledge to transform people into titans, the question becomes who should have that power when the time comes."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door "Come in" Erwin said, the door clicked open.

"Commander Erwin," Said the MP standing at the door "the Interior MP first squad would like to see; it's about a series of murders that have occurred lately."

"Murders?" Hange asked as both of them stood up "what does this have to do with us?"

"Thank you, soldier" Erwin replied "Please give squad leader Hange and I a moment." The MP nodded and closed the door. Erwin turned back to Hange "Something may have gone wrong." Erwin stated "mobilize the rest of fourth squad and whoever else and head back to the castle."

"You think they're going to hit the castle?" Hange questioned "That would be insane; the place is heavily guarded and Ian's men have only just reinforced it."

"Ian Dietrich's men are reinforcing the castle?" Erwin questioned.

"Pixis recently sent a letter saying that." Hange said.

"I didn't get any such letter from either Pixis or Ian." Erwin replied, a terrible realization had suddenly dawned on them.

"Then…oh shit." Hange said through a panicked whispered; she quickly walked out of the room, trying not to raise suspicion from the MPs.

Erwin placed on his long brown coat and sat down "Come in." an old man dressed in the standard uniform of the military with the insignia of the military police entered into the room.

"Commander Erwin." He said as he sat down on the same seat Hange sat was only a few seconds ago. "You know about the recent string of murders that have occurred lately?"

"Just recently," Erwin replied "am I correct to assume that the murders are being linked to the scout regiment."

"Not the entire regiment; only the single squad; the special operations unit." Said the MP, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a scout badge which he placed on the table. "This was found at the crime scene on the Mayor's corpse; the whole thing looked like a struggle and just recently a forest fire led to the bodies of Dimo Reeves and two of his employees, it looked as though those who killed him were highly trained." There was a brief pause. "Did you issue the assassinations of these individuals?"

"No." Erwin replied firmly. "I have not issued any orders which involved the killings of either high ranking officials or members of society."

"We suspected as much." said the MP "Our investigation suggests that the special operations squad, and perhaps other rogue elements of the military, are acting alone with Captain Levi as their leadership." The MP placed a piece of paper on the table "In a few days time, you and the other officers of the scout regiment are to appear in front of the king and the assembly where you'll denounce captain Levi, the special operations squad and their allies; if you don't then the regiment is to be deemed implicated in their actions and will be dissolved."

"Commander Erwin, what is it going to be?"

* * *

At the Military police's headquarters in the capital, relatives of the special operations unit were being held and being monitored. In brightly lit hallway, a small line of people waited outside a door as they waited for their turn to be interviewed.

"Mr and Mrs Braus please wait here." said the MP. The couple sat down on seats lined along the wall with along with another couple and a man, all of them looked anxious. "Wait here, Mr and Mrs Kirsten will be finished soon."

They all sat in silence for a few seconds as they waited "So…" said Sasha's father, breaking the silence "You all here for the same thing?"

"My daughter, Petra Ral." said the lone parent.

"Our daughter, Mina Carolina." Said the couple "the couple inside are here about their son."

"MPs saying our kids are criminals." said Mr Braus in a hushed tone, trying not to attract the attention of the guards who were having their own conversation not so far from them.

"I don't believe it for a second." said Mina's father.

"I couldn't tell you how proud I was when she told me about her promotion." said Petra's father. "She would never do anything without a good reason."

"When you're daughter said she had joined the scouts, how did you feel?" asked Mrs Carolina.

"We talked about it before hand; I was worried about her, I still am, but in the end it was her decision." Petra's father replied. "You're worried about your daughter."

"I'm scared… I wish she had just joined the garrison." Said Mina mother "Now she's caught up in all this…"

"The day she left for the trainees I told her that people have to look out for each other, it seemed she took it to heart." said Sasha's father. Just then the door next to them opened and out came another couple; the mother appeared to be weeping as her husband comforted her.

"That must be the Kirsteins." muttered Mr Braus to himself.

"Why… why did he have to join the scouts?" cried Mrs Kirstein "He said he wanted to be an MP, Jeanbo's smarter than this, why did he have to join them."

"It'll be alright." comforted her husband, Jean's father.

"What if something happens to him? My poor boy." She cried.

* * *

It was cloudless night as Petra's team finally reach their headquarters; the group sprinted towards the gate as Petra waved at the soldier on the battlement to signal them. "Quickly, open the gate!" she yelled. The wooden platform quickly collapsed onto the ground, allowing them to cross and enter inside the castle, they rushed across inside.

"Lieutenant, what happened?" asked one of the scouts.

"Where's the captain?" Petra asked with urgency in her voice "I need to tell him something."

"He's in his study." answered the scout.

"Thank you, soldier" Petra replied, she turned back to her team "Get Flegel to a safe place, head to the armoury and replenish your gas."

"Yes, Lieutenant" Jean replied as the group moved to the castle's entrance.

Petra took a deep breath and sighed _Tell Levi and then look for Ed_ she moved her head towards the battlements of the castle; garrison soldiers lined the walls along with a few of the scouts. She once more caught sight of that woman garrison soldier who was once more looking at her with an almost disappointed expression on her face before looking off to the side. _Why are you looking at me like that?_ Petra thought, she quickly shook off the thought as she ran inside to find Levi.

Petra quickly jogged up a flight of stairs when she almost bumped into the captain in an empty, dimly lit, corridor which only the bright moon had illuminated. "Captain Levi!" she exclaimed.

"Petra, where the hell have you been?" Levi demanded.

"Captain, we were ambushed by the interior MPs." She replied, slightly panicking "They found out, Dimo Reeves and his men were killed and we got separated from Ed during the fighting."

From the look on his face, Levi seemed to be at a loss for words "Okay, how the hell did that all happen?"

"We confronted the head of the interior MPs." Petra responded, slightly more calmly "He said his name was-"

BANG! The sound of a gunshot from outside instantly cut Petra off and snatched their attention from each other. "What the hell?" Levi muttered "C'mon, follow me." He ordered as they both rushed back down stairs; the sound of more gunshot, each in rapid session of each other along the screams of agony from the people outside, quickly spurred them on till Levi barged through the entrance of the keep. As the door swung open they were quickly greeted to the sight one of a scout dropping dead in front of them, his musket flopping down next to Levi's feet and his head falling near Petra's.

Littered around the gatehouse were the dead bodies of the scouts who were keeping watch as the garrison soldiers from atop the wall appeared to be shooting down at the remaining scouts on the ground. Levi quickly picked up the musket from his feet and fired it at one of the garrison soldiers; the shot stuck the target in the chest and pushed him off to the other side of the wall.

"Everyone get inside!" Levi yelled; the remaining survivors quickly rushed past them. The sound of zipping cables caught their attention as suddenly more people began to leap up onto the battlements from the other side.

"That's ODM gear the MPs attacked us with!" Petra warned.

"Hold that gatehouse, will ya!" yelled a disturbingly familiar voice.

 _Wait… Levi knows this guy_ Petra quickly turned her head towards Levi to gauge his reaction; there was a look of shock on his face as his eyes appeared to be glued onto a single individual standing above the entrance to the drawbridge.

"It's been a while, Levi and I see you're still a short little shit."

"Kenny!" Levi yelled in anger as the two looked at each other. Kenny aimed his gun at Levi and fired, Levi quickly stepping back and dodged the shot which blew the door of the main entrance off from its hinges. "They're after Eren and Historia, rally what's left of our defense and set up choke points in the hallways!" he turned towards Petra "Petra, have our squad hold the second floor, you go after Historia and get Alphonse to guard Eren. I'll gather some others and secure the armory; hopefully we'll mount a counterattack once we get more guns." They all sprinted further inside the castle as they prepared to fight the Kenny's assault.

* * *

Kenny observed the surroundings of the castle in front of him; so far they had secured the gate house and the outer walls but the inside was likely crawling with Levi and his men.

"Traute, what's the layout?" he asked as more of his MPs began to scale the walls.

"Main hall in the first ground, dungeon underneath which has their captured shifter inside, Library, barracks and offices on the second floor and the armoury and general storage is on the third." Traute informed him as she tossed away her garrison coat and quickly strapped on her anti-personnel gear. "They'll likely try to fight us inside where our gear is useless."

"These things use shotgun shells, still good for close combat and the hooks are only useless if you ain't got any imagination."Kenny discharged the empty cylinder from gun and eased a new cylinder in from the ones attached to his leg. "Traute, take some guys and go get that Historia girl while I'll go after the titan brat."

"Yes, Captain Ackerman." Traute replied.

Kenny turned towards the mass of his soldiers standing on the battlements "the rest of ya, flood the first floor and work you'r way up; keep 'em from heading to the dungeon!" Kenny swung down from the gatehouse and onto the ground as he made his way to the inside of the castle. "And if ya see the other Elric runt, make sure to put a bullet in that noggin of his."

* * *

The sound of gunfire and yelling echoed off the stone walls as Historia followed Petra through the corridors of the castle. In her hands was a hand-cannon Petra had given her while her commanding officer kept her hand on the handle of her blade which was still locked inside its scarab. As they came up to a stairway heading down the sounds of a shootout only became more intense; they moved swiftly, placing their backs against the wall, as Petra peered down.

"Keep pushing forward!" yelled one of the MPs which were followed by a rush of boots hitting the stone floor, more gunshots and cries of agony.

"We'll have to move up instead." Petra whispered, she pointed at the conjoining corridor and waved Historia along to follow her. As they approached the hallway, leading towards the stairs up, Petra stopped Historia; all the windows along the wall were wide open.

 _Garrison soldiers were opening all the windows before_ Historia remembered as she clutched the gun in her hand tightly _guess we know why._

"We're gonna have to make a break for it." Petra whispered "Be ready to use that gun." Historia nodded her head.

The two sprinted towards the stairs, running past the windows, an MP swooped through the window and in their path; Petra, her hand still on the handle, promptly pulled the blade from her scarab and slashed at the MP's neck, almost decapitating him. Another flew in from the window behind them, Historia pointed her handcannon at the MP and fired off the shot; the bullet striking the shoulder and pushing the enemy soldier onto the ground as they clutched at their wound. Suddenly another MP came through the window next to Petra; before they could get their shot off Petra swung her sword but the MP quickly blocked the attack using their guns, the blade hitting in between the metal barrel and the trigger guard.

"You!" Petra yelled as the two were locked in a standoff. It was one of the MPs who were pretending to be garrison soldiers instead she was now dressed in their unique ODM gear. Suddenly more MPs swooped in through the windows.

"Get the girl!" yelled the MP locked in the standoff with Petra.

"Historia, get out of here now!" Petra yelled; she turned back towards the MP, the intensity in the light blues eyes of the MP was matched by the ferocity in Petra's, she moved forward and pushed the MP from the window. Before she could fall, the MP grabbed Petra by her collar and pulled them both out of the window. Historia began sprinting towards the staircase; an MP lunged at Historia, trying to grapple her, but she easily slipped away as ducked under the attack and moved behind her attacker. She then struck the back of MP with a kick from her right leg, pushing them onto the ground, as she continued to bolt towards the stairs.

 _They won't kill me_ Historia reasoned _they can't risk shooting me_ just as that thought had finished she felt something sharp pierce itself into her neck; her eyes quickly shut as she fell to the ground.

* * *

"Hurry up; we have to hold this hallway!" Jean ordered as his friends began to stack boxes and flipped over tables in a desperate attempt to create a choke point. Connie began tossing shotguns and buckshot rifles to others as they took their positions. There was an uneasiness to go with the feelings of fear and anxiety they were all feeling; the idea of taking a human life still didn't sit well with most of them, the situation was beyond chaotic as they had little to no time to make sure the second floor was entirely under the castle defenders control and on top of that two of their team mates, Mikasa and Mina, were still recovering but were now suddenly thrown in the battle.

Armin rested his gun against a wooden box as he took about the box of matches he had in his pocket. As he lay eyes of the flame circle the vivid memories of those burning Military Police at to the front of his mind _if worse comes to worse than… than I'll have to do it again._ He looked around at his teammates, his comrades and close friends; their hands appeared to be shaking as they tried to aim their guns.

 _They're not going to die… not while I can do something, even if it may be drastic._

"They're coming up!" Jean yelled as the sound of multiple boots hitting the stone stairs alerted them; Armin placed the box of matches back into his pocket and picked up his gun, aiming it at the staircase from the first floor. The footsteps stopped suddenly yet not a single person had stepped, they saw a head peer up from the stairs for just a second to look at them. "This is it…" Jean said, his voice trembling like his hands.

Without warning, two people ran up from the stairs and fired a volley of shots at them; the team quickly ducked behind their makeshift barricade as another volley was fired again. Only this time the bang was accompanied by the sound of zipping cables; steel hooks burst through the some of the wooden boxes and the table, latching onto them, as they were quickly reeled away towards the attackers, leaving Sasha, Mikasa and Connie out in the open.

"Oh crap!" Connie yelled out as five MPs began to rush up onto the second floor.

"Shit! Everyone shoot now!" Jean ordered; the most of the shots missed their targets and instead only stifled the advance of their attackers with only Mikasa's shot making a fatal hit. Quickly the three ran towards the remaining cover as they reloaded their weapons. The Military police returned fire as they began to advance on their position.

A shot tore apart the crate Armin and Mikasa hid behind; forcing them to take cover against the connecting hallway where Connie and Jean hid as they loaded the shells into the buckshot, Jean blindly fired his gun in the direction of the MPs, a sharp cry of pain indicated that he had hit one of them and Armin could tell from the look on Jean's face that he was repulsed by it.

Jean and Armin quickly swapped places as Jean reloaded his weapon with trembling hands; Armin peered by the corner to see the MPs steadily advances as they pushed the captured boxes towards their positions in an effort to close the gap as they pulled away more of the remaining barricade, forcing the rest of the team to hide in the same area. Armin took out the match box once again "Guys, I have an idea." He said as he took out a match from the box "it's risky but we could hold the second floor if it works."

"If you got a plan then do it." Connie urged him "You don't need our approval."

"Do it, Armin." said Mikasa. Both Jean and Mina, who had witnessed Armin's flame alchemy in combat first hand, both reluctantly nodded their heads at the last ditch attack.

Armin placed his head against the wall, trying to focus, as he visualized the pathway of oxygen towards the oncoming MPs and manipulated the density of oxygen in the air; he placed the match head onto the striker.

 _Small and controlled flames, small and controlled flames, small and controlled flames_ he repeated in his head. _Here goes nothing…_ he moved his body passed the corner and faced the MPs; as they pointed their guns at him he skid the match head along the striker, the forward motion match moving in their direction, as a stream of fire burst from the matchbox and shot towards them. The hallway was engulfed in a wave of intense fire as it scorched the intended area of Armin's focus; he quickly turned back into the corner for cover.

The loud blast of fire quickly died down and gave way to the ear-piercing wails of pain from the down burning. Nobody wanted to peer from the corner to see the poor souls suffer a painful end; everyone looked shaken to the core as they listen to the cries slowly die down. Armin once more felt nauseated by what he done, but was overcome by the immense feeling of relief that didn't accidentally burn his friends and himself.

* * *

"Through here, Eren." Keiji, a team leader for 4th squad, pointed his musket as he and Alphonse escorted Eren while trying to navigate their way towards a safe location.

"The rest of Levi squad should be holding the other side of the second floor." Alphonse mentioned "We should meet up with them and head to the armoury." Alphonse clapped his hands and placed them onto the wall, as he pulled his hand back a stone knife formed from the bricks and landed into his hand "Eren, take this." He said handing it to Eren.

"Keep moving, push up to the third floor." An echo alerted them.

"Quickly in here." Keiji waved them into one of the rooms before closing the door. They hid with their backs against the wall.

"Did you hear something?" said a voice on the other side.

"Peter, sweep the area" ordered another. "Rest of you, move up." there was a muffled scamper of feet followed by a few seconds of silence.

Boom! That was the sound of a door being kicked in.

Boom! Another door, this time closer.

Boom! That was the door to the next room; Keiji readied his rifle, Alphonse took out a single blade from his scarab while Eren readied to use his knife.

Boom! The door was slung open as a gun stuck out of the doorway, the MP turned to the side and pointed his gun towards Alphonse; before Alphonse could act, Eren grabbed the arm and pulled in the attacker, slamming them onto the ground before he drove the knife into their heart, the attacker let out small cry before falling silent.

"Eren…" Alphonse muttered as looked at his friend.

"C'mon you two, we still have to move to a safer location." said Keiji as he peered through the doorway. Eren pulled the knife from the MP's chest as the three continued onwards.

"Hey what was that?" yelled a voice nearby "Peter?"

"We have to go, now." Said Keiji, the three then started running.

"It's them!" yelled a MP that caught sight of them "Eren's with them!" they began chasing after them.

"The library," Alphonse pointed "quickly, get inside." The three entered the room and shut the door, placing a chair under the handle; Keiji flipped over a table and placing the barrel on the table's edge as he aimed it at the door with Alphonse Eren next to him. The door rattled as it sounded as though the MPs were trying to break in; throwing themselves at the door.

Then it stopped.

Everything fell silent.

Everything but the fluttering bangs of the wooden curtains hitting the wall; Alphonse looked to the wide open window above them. He shifted his head further upwards and in the corner of the roof… Like a large spider watching them. Kenny.

"Above us!" he yelled, the other two looked in the same direction as Alphonse.

"Yahoo!" Kenny fired his grappling hook onto the centre of the roof and swung around. Keiji tried to aim his musket at Kenny but Kenny fired his first. Keiji collapsed onto the ground as the shotgun shell tore off the upper half of his head. Kenny landed onto the wall onto the wall and watched them "Ain't it a small world, Alphonse." Kenny said "Feels like we met only yesterday." He shifted his eyes towards Eren "Oh and Eren, I heard good things about you."

"You bastard!" Eren yelled as he picked up the musket and fired it at Kenny; Kenny jumped from the wall and onto the floor, easily avoiding the shot. Eren raised his hand to his mouth.

"Do it, boy!" Kenny taunted "Send this whole building to the ground, you can go ahead and pick me out of the rubble along with your friends with that titan of yours." Eren growled at Kenny before reluctantly lowering his hand. "Alphonse, what kind of brother abandons their own flesh and blood?" Both Eren and Alphonse charged toward Kenny; Eren lifted the knife up high and brought it down, aiming for Kenny's neck as Alphonse leapt into the looking to strike Kenny in the face with a left strike from his foot.

Kenny blocked Eren attacked and pushed him away as he turned sharply towards Alphonse and aimed his gun which Alphonse slammed into the ground along with Kenny's hand. "Ow! You brat!" Kenny yelled as lifted both his hand and Alphonse off the ground, Alphonse flipped backwards and landed onto his feet while Eren got off the ground and resumed his attack on Kenny. Eren swung his knife at Kenny face which Kenny easily dodged, leaning backwards slightly. Eren, once again, tried to drive the knife in Kenny from above but Kenny held the attack by holding Eren's wrist; Eren placed both hands on the handle of his knife as he tried to press it forward. Leaving his body open for an attack, Kenny aimed his gun and fired a dart into Eren's chest.

Alphonse ran forward as Eren began to collapse, letting go of the knife, Kenny quickly grab the knife from Eren's grasp and swung it in Alphonse's direction; Alphonse pounce up, jumping over Kenny's attack, and landing a swift kick to Kenny's cheek with his right foot.

"What's with you brats and kickin' people, eh?" Kenny spat, Alphonse threw a punch towards Kenny face but Kenny quickly moved his head to the side, avoiding the attack, and grabbed Alphonse by the neck. He threw Alphonse off to the side; Alphonse crashed into the wooden shelves and books. "I've fought and killed a lot of people" Kenny said as he dusted himself off "But I got to hand it to you and your brother, you're some of the toughest sons of bitches I've ever fought." He grabbed Eren and hoisted him onto his shoulder as he aimed one of his guns at Alphonse "Well… at least your brother was that is."

Alphonse heart sank into his stomach; he felt his chest tighten as if someone had stolen the air around him.

"Liar" Alphonse accused.

"I'm standing here rather than your brother." Kenny retorted "what more proof do you need?"

Dread began to consume him and quickly gave way to anguish; he wanted to fall to his knees and cry.

 _no… no… no… No… No… NO! Ed, you can't be… he can't be…_

They had been through so much, to on challenges and succeed, fought and beat formidable opponents, he was meant to return home to Resembool… all to be ended by him.

An almost monstrous sense of rage took over.

"You're gonna pay!" Alphonse yelled; he attached a blade from his scarab onto his handle as he glared daggers at Kenny. Kenny pointed his gun towards the door and fired; the chair keeping the door closed exploded into pieces as the shotgun shell collided with it.

"I wasn't dumb enough to think I can take on your brother on alone." Kenny remarked as the MPs began to rush into the room "And I'm not an idiot who'd think you'd be the exception." They began to swarm Alphonse "Kill that runt, will ya." They all pointed their guns at him.

Alphonse eyed Kenny and the MPs then shifted his attention towards Eren who unconscious and within Kenny's grasp.

 _I'm sorry, Eren_. _I promise I'll come back to save you._ He quickly aimed handle at sill of the open window and quickly fired himself towards it. The MPs fired their guns at him, narrowly missing him as he escaped through the window.

* * *

BANG! The door to the dungeon burst open with the door crashing its way to the bottom floor and onto the ground. Annie ticked her head upwards as the loud crash woke her; the rushing sound of footsteps forced her to stand up as she prepared for something to happen. Two men, dressed plain clothes and equipped she could only assume is ODM gear, holding what she could only assume to be guns ran to her cell.

"That's Leonhart." said one of the men.

"Who the hell are you?" Annie questioned.

"You don't need to worry about that." One of the men replied. Both of them pointed their guns at her." Annie flinched slightly.

"If you shoot me, it'll only end badly for you." Annie threatens.

"We're not here to kill you." one of them replied. They fired their guns point blank at her; the force of impact hit pushed her back against the wall. Annie instantly began to lose consciousness as the two men open the cell door and approached her.

* * *

At the gatehouse, Traute waited, along with other members of the anti-personal MPs and a now captured Historia, for Kenny and the rest of the MPs with Eren in tow. The wounded members of their squad were quickly hurried out of the castle as they made their withdrawal from the raid. Traute tighten the bandage around the leg; a deep wound from a large blade, a wound inflicted by Levi's second in command before she had a hasty retreat.

 _Damn that bitch…_

"Has Leonhart been secured?" Traute asked.

"Yes, two men had already retrieved her when we took the ground floor." said an MP.

"What are the causalities?"

"Nine dead and close to twelve wounded." said one of the MPs. "Captain Ackerman and the others haven't arrived yet."

"Have the injured been evacuated?" Traute asked.

"Yes, only the dead are left." They informed

"There's nothing we can do about that." Traute lamented. "They won't have died in vain; we must keep faith in Kenny's plan."

The sound of zipping cables caught their attention; the anti-personal squad members outside looked towards the direction of the sound "That must be Captain Ackerman and the others." Several figures swung themselves around the building, the shadow of the castle covering them, and towards the MPs. As the moonlight hit them, the figures flying towards became clear.

"Its Levi," Traute yelled "enemy counterattack!"

In one hand Levi held the handle of his ODM gear and in the other he held a sawed-off shut gun; he fired the cable onto the side of the castle, burst forward and fired off one of the shots from his gun as he flew through the air.

Traute instinctively ducked as her comrade head was blown off from their head. One member of her squad flew towards Levi and fired their guns at him; Levi expertly dodged the shot and as he came close to the MP he carved into the side of the overly confident soldier and almost split them in half.

"Push forward!" Levi ordered "Retake the gate!" a small group of other scouts quickly followed him in the fray; some collided into her squad members, impaling them with their large blades, while others were shot out from the sky.

"Take Historia and head to the rendezvous point!" Traute ordered, she turned towards the still unconscious Historia as she was picked up and quickly carried away. As she turned back she saw Levi flying towards her.

"Surprise, you little midget!" yelled Kenny as he quickly arrived to their position. Levi sharply turned his body to the side and fired his gun at Kenny just as Kenny had fired his gun; the two quickly evaded the incoming shot.

Levi landed onto the ground as Kenny landed on top of the gatehouse "you old shitbag!"

"All of you get out of 'ere now!" Kenny ordered, he looked down at Levi "Later, Levi" he said as he mockingly saluted him before jumping off the gate and disappearing into the forest

* * *

The rest of Levi squad ran outside as the MPs began their retreat, Alphonse quickly spotted one of them gliding above them; he fired his cable at the guy, hitting him in the leg, Alphonse reeled him down onto the ground, forcing the guy to crash painfully onto the stone floor, as the others grabbed the captured MP and held him down.

"Captain, we have to go after them!" Petra urged as she ran towards him.

"Don't, we'd only get slaughtered; we don't know what they have for us if we follow." Levi responded as he looked onward towards the direction of the MPs

"But Eren and Historia-"

"I know we'll just have to find another way." The sound of people struggling caught their attention as they turned to see members of their squad holding down a captured member of Kenny's squad. Levi walked up to the man "Looks like we just found our first lead." Levi remarked before stamping onto the man's face.

* * *

Hello everyone,

Chapter was more action packed than the last few chapters.

I've said 'sorry this is late' so many times it must be tiring, the truth is I've been kind of burnt out with writing. I'm not going to quit this story (I've sunk so much time into the writing and planning to give up now) and I'm going to be working on the next chapter. I'm just going to have to rediscover the spark/passion I had when I first started.

Thank you.


	37. Chapter 37: Cornered Rat

**Chapter 37: Cornered Rat**

In the cramped house within the belly of the underground, a small group of people awaited for further information to be delivered to them; the underground journalists who were in a mutually beneficial arrangement with the scout regiment. Oda and her colleagues sat around the table as they waited for Abel to deliver the next batch of leaks surrounded by stacks of papers scattered across the room.

"He's taking a while…" Isaac commented as he took a sip of tea from his cup.

"We should go out and check around, in case he got lost or something." Agatha said, slightly concerned.

"He's a scout; if he can fight titans then he can handle a mugger." Oda rationalized, she turned her head towards the door and eyed Louis who appeared to be dozing off as he sat down next to the door. "If it gets too late then we can always have Louis go check." There was a knock on the door which caused Louis to jump up from his chair and into a state of urgency.

"That must be Abel." Isaac said as he placed his cup down on the table and leaned his head back slightly. "Hey big guy, get the door will ya?"

Louis rubbed his eyes slightly as he placed his hand on the doorknob, turned the handle and pull the door open.

BANG!

There was a bright flash which shook everyone in the room and had the group jumping onto the ground as Louis limp body fell onto the floor; blood leaking onto the floor from the gaping hole in his head.

"Louis, no!" Agatha cried.

The door was flung out as the person on the other side kicked it wide open and single person stepped into the room. Kenny Ackerman.

"You…" Isaac exclaimed he grabbed his cup from the table and threw it at the intruder in a desperate and futile attempt to fight their attacker; he was met with the barrel of a gun facing him as he stood up.

"Try it, tough guy." Kenny taunted, as he stepped forward his foot got caught slightly onto the dead body. He nudged the body with his foot, giving himself some room. "Sorry about the mess; work can be messy at times." Oda began eyeing possible exits "I know what you're thinking and there's no way out; I've got the place surrounded." The sound of cables could be heard as a person landed just outside the doorway. "Speak of the devil."

"Captain, the area has been secured." said a person behind him "All exits have been cordon off."

"Kenny, you work for the military?" Oda questioned.

"Yes, that's not even the kicker; I'm workin' with the MPs. Crazy, am I right?" he joked "Listen…" he said, his tone suddenly becoming more serious "this isn't personal, you're just in the way; you being a part of Levi and the scouts' grand plan complicate things. You're helpin' a bunch of rodents and it's my job to exterminate them and that means cuttin' you out and keepin' them out in the cold from the people." Kenny pulled the trigger of his gun and blew off Isaac's head, his body collapsing onto the chair. Agatha screamed as both she and Oda staggered back.

"You piece of shit!" Oda yelled.

"Can't argue with that." Kenny replied "Again, real sorry about all this." He changed the cylinder from his gun and pointed it towards Agatha.

"NO! Pleas-" there was a sharp bang as a large chunk of Agatha's face was blown from her head as her lifeless body collapsed onto the floor. He turned the gun towards Oda. She looked to the ground, the bodies of her friends littered across the floor as the blood pooled around them.

Under the dark narrow pass, a hooded figure watched from a far as a sizable group of people circled one of the shanty houses; the sound of a muffled gunshot could be heard as a flash of light burst through the window. They clutched onto the handgun hidden under their cloak as they hid in the shadow of the pass; they spotted a tall figure, dressed what looked to be ODM gear without the scarabs, stepping out of the house. They quickly turned away, walking quietly from the scene.

* * *

An entire day had passed since the attack; the corpses of both friend and foe were being line up in a row, white blankets covering them, as the survivors and the reinforcements began cleaning up the mess. Hange and Levi lifted the body of a fallen comrade, placing him onto the ground as Levi pulled a blanket over their face.

"Sorry I couldn't have gotten here sooner." Hange apologist "If we had made it we could have intercepted them… they wouldn't have made off with Eren, Historia and Annie." Hange began to squeeze the bridge of her nose "And on top of that we don't know if Ed's dead or not."

"We'll keep moving." Levi replied "We've got one of those bastards locked away and if we're lucky he might know where they're taking them."

"If we're lucky, huh." Hange remarked. "How's everyone holding up?"

"They're shaken but getting on with it; the brats are resilient I'll give them that. You should also know that Armin was able to use that flame alchemy he's been working on." Levi informed "But Alphonse hasn't spoken to anyone since the attack; few short answers about what happened on his end but that's it."

"Where is he now?" Hange asked, concerned.

"In the barracks by himself." Levi said.

"I'll go talk to him later." Hange said "First we should probably pay our 'guest' a visit."

"I was thinking the exact same thing." Levi said. The two both made their way inside the castle, through the mess hall and into the basement below. They descended down the steps towards the row of cells; in the second cell was the captured interior MP, tied to a chair still unconscious.

"You awake?" Levi asked. There was no response, a few seconds passed before Levi threw a hard punch into his gut which caused the guy to cry out in pain. "Oh look at that." Levi grabbed a hand full of his hair and pulled his head towards his. "That was quite the little raid you guys launched; three of our greatest assets taken in one night and all it cost you was more than a couple of your men." Levi turned to Hange and nodded at her; Hange walked over to a tray next to her and picked up a nail puller. "Tell us everything you know or we pull your fingernails off."

"Seeing as it looks like you cut your nails recently, it won't make this easy for me." Hange remarked as he examined their prisoner's hands "Which means it might be even more painful for you."

"Let's start this off easy, what's your name?" Levi asked.

"Duran…" the MP replied in a hushed growl.

"Very good…the three that Kenny captured, where is he taking them?" Levi questioned.

"Fuck you." Duran spat.

"Wrong answer" Levi replied, he released the clump of hair he held in his hand as Hange dug the nail puller into Duran's finger. There was a sickening crack as she accidentally bend the tip of his index finger upwards.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

"Shit, wasn't meant to do that." Hange said as she realigned the nail puller "Hold on just let me…" she pulls back as the nail from Duran's finger was ripped off "There we are, sorry about that; hadn't done anything like this before." Duran didn't respond, instead he began crying from the immense pain.

"Let's try this again, where are they taking those three?" Levi questioned "You wanna keep the nail on your middle finger? Then answer the question."

"Fuck you, midget!"

"Hange?" Levi said, looking back to her.

"I'm on it." She said as she clamped the clippers on to the edge of his nails. She pulled her hand back quickly as the nail was ripped from his finger. "Should we try another question?"

"Alright then" Levi said, he turned back to Duran "Your group, what kind of branch of the military police do you work for?"

"I'm not…" Duran mumbled through his tears "I'm not telling you freaks anything!"

Levi immediately threw a hard punch directly to Duran's nose; his head recoiled back from the sheer force of the blow as the back of his head collided into the crest rail of the chair. Levi picked up a small knife from the tray "Will you answer if it meant I didn't have to shove this into your left eye?" Levi questioned.

Duran winced at the thought as he stared at the knife Levi held in front of him, a heavy stream of blood ran from his nose. "Anti-Personnel control squad…"

"Very good" Levi replied "Now, what about the location of the three?" Levi pushed his head back against the chair's crest rail as he aligned the knife with Duran's left eye "Do you want to try back talking again?"

* * *

Hours had passed since the enemy raid, Armin walked along the scorched hallway; even when all the bodies had been removed the lingering smell of burnt flesh hung around as an unpleasant reminder of his actions. He walked into one of the rooms; there was a pool of blood on the floor just by the door.

"They still ended up taking the second floor." Armin muttered, he noticed someone sitting on one of the beds, alone and silent.

"Alphonse…" he walked up to him "Alphonse, are you-" he placed his hand on his shoulder, Alphonse turned towards Armin. His eyes were bloodshot and red, whether it was from exhaustion from the night battle or him crying, it was clear he was both physically and mentally tired. Armin gave Alphonse a sympathetic look and sat down next to him. "I guess it would be stupid to ask if you're alright." He said.

"It's my fault…" Alphonse muttered, his head lowered toward the ground "I left him… I should have…"

"We were ambushed; none of us saw it coming." Armin tried to comfort him "It wasn't your fault, don't beat yourself up." Armin looked down onto the floor "He wanted you to go; he didn't want you to be in danger…"

"What am I going to do?" Alphonse asked, Armin didn't know whether he was genuinely asking him for advice or just to himself. "If I had known this would happen…"

"But you didn't know." Armin said.

There was a knock on the door, Armin turned his head to see Hange standing by the doorway, blood splattered over the sleeves of her clothes. "Hey, just checking up on you." she walked up to the two and sat beside Alphonse. "I'm so sorry, Alphonse."

"What am I going to do?" Alphonse asked again, he placed the back of his hand onto his left eye. "What do I have to do?" his voice cracked, it sounded as if he was on the verge of breaking down into tears. "I can't do this without him." Tears ran down his cheeks as they softly splattered onto the stone floor.

Hange placed her arm around Alphonse's shoulders and leaned towards him, placing her head next to him, as she tried to comforting her crying mentor and friend. Armin placed his arm around Al's body as the two hugged him. They didn't know what to say to him but they wanted him to know that they'd be there. No matter what.

* * *

Night had fallen on the castle once more, a day had nearly passed since the attack and yet everyone was on edge; waiting for the next attack. Inside the mess hall Levi squad and Hange and her team leaders gathered around as they planned their next move.

Levi's squad sat around the wooden table as Levi stood at the end, his knuckles resting on the table as he leaned forward slightly, he observed the faces of his subordinates; it was clear to him that they were tired and distressed about the loss of their friends and the recent defeat.

"The interior police managed to track down our contacts and quickly killed them." Abel informed them "Cutting off our way of spreading our message and info to the people."

"Waging a war on information to the public" Hange remarked "Why try and compete with an opposing message when you could just cut off all opposing opinions entirely…"

"I can't believe Keiji gone…" Nifa lamented over the loss of their team member. The mood in the room was grim as they thought back to the line of bodies outside; they couldn't send them back to their families, not while they were still fighting against the Royal government and were being hunt down by the interior MPs.

"So many of our comrades have died" Moblit added.

"There's no point in moping around like a bunch on shitty brats." Levi stated "All we can do now is move forward and exact some payback to them." He turned towards Alphonse who sat quietly at the edge of the table, staring downwards as if he was still lost in his thoughts. "Alphonse." Al's head shifted upwards to face Levi. "Do you mind answering a question?" Alphonse didn't response "Did Kenny say, definitively, that he killed Edward?"

"He… said that Ed was a good fighter and that he was the one standing it was proof that he..." Alphonse stopped mid sentence as he gritted his teeth.

"So it's all implied then." Levi responded "It sounds more like he was gloating over the fact that he beat Ed rather than killed him."

"Are you saying Ed's alive then, Captain?" Connie asked. Everyone looked at Levi with a look of anticipation; they all knew by now that he had known Kenny. It was natural to assume that Levi must have known Kenny's nature and from this know if he had killed Ed or not. Of course, that wasn't the case, even Levi knew very little about Kenny. Levi could see the hope in Alphonse tired eyes. He felt guilty for dampening it.

"I don't know, Kenny may have taught me how to survive, he never told me about himself" Levi responded "The only way we'll find out is if we succeed in this coup or we fail and meet him in the afterlife. Alphonse, when you were thrown into the jaws of the colossal titan Ed was the first to act and when the armored titan ran off with you he devised the plan to rescue you, Eren and Ymir without the authorization of either Hange or I." Levi told him "We didn't know whether you were still alive but… he never gave up on you." Levi leaned back slightly "Don't give up on him, keep fighting."

"Keep moving forward…" Alphonse muttered to himself. Al nodded weakly to Levi as Levi nodded back.

"As you all know we been interrogating the captured MP from last night's raid until the bastard caved in; the information we got was that they're moving along a series of checkpoints, however he doesn't know the end point of the trail only just the location of one of the checkpoints, an inn in Stohess." Levi informed them.

"If we know one of the areas there heading then we could mount a rescue mission." Abel suggested.

"It almost certainly a trap" Levi stated "Kenny will be banking on us to launch some kind of desperate rescue mission to ambush us."

"So the information we've got is faulty?" Connie asked. "Then what's the point of it?"

"Kenny likely wants to lure us into a final confrontation and finish us off." Levi stated "So we'll use this opportunity to take the fight to him." Everyone looked at Levi shocked.

"What about Eren, Historia and Edward?" Mikasa demanded, anger in her voice "Are you saying we should leave them?"

"So long as Kenny and the 'Anti-personnel squad' are still running around they'll constantly stand in our way." Levi responded "They won't quit until each and every one of us is buried six feet under and we won't either." the members of his squad, the 104th, squirmed uncomfortably in their seats. "If we take out Kenny then we've got a clear path towards rescuing them."

"We could ask Hannes and his men to sweep the area for any suspicious activity." Hange suggested "A battle would draw any attention away from them while they searched for Eren and Historia." Hange turned towards Levi squad, specifically two members "Mikasa and Armin, you two have known Hannes for a long time; would he agree to do something like this?" she asked.

"Yes, Captain Hannes had always looked out for us." Armin replied.

"He's the one that saved us during the attack on Shiganshina." Mikasa added.

"So that's sorted then, Hannes and his men will search for them while we distract and eliminate Kenny and his men." Levi stated.

"Nifa, send a message to Captain Hannes about our next move and Abel, send message to both Captain Dietrich and Squad leader Nanaba for reinforcements." Hange ordered.

"If we do this… then we'll knowingly turn the district into a warzone." Jean mentioned "We won't be able to warn anyone like the titan attack… they'll all be caught in the battle."

"And if we don't do this then we'll lose and with us the fight to reclaim wall Maria and humanity's future will be gone too." Levi replied. "I'm not going to stand here and tell you all that this is the most noble thing to do, it may not even be the right thing to do, but it may be the best approach to making sure humanity has a some kind of chance if we can just take the over the reins of this world." There was an uncomfortable silence after he spoke. "Once we do that then we can try and make right by the people."

"We're all in agreement then?" Hange asked as she looked around the room "Good, Moblit and I will have to find an alternative bring to our message to the public seeing as our messengers are dead."

"We'll handle Kenny." Levi replied, he turned his head towards Hange "Hange, if you don't mind, I'd like to speak to me squad alone."

"Of course" Hange replied as she and her team got up from their chairs and quickly walked out the door, shutting it behind them.

Levi took one of the empty chairs and placed them on the end of the table and seated himself down. "Okay, let's talk; I know that you all had to do things you weren't comfortable with last night and now you're being told to do it again. It's a shitty situation, I know, so just air it out now."

"It wasn't quick." Armin mumbled as he looked down onto the table, getting everyone's attention. He looked upwards to see everyone's faces. "The people I've killed, they were forced to suffer." His voice trembled slightly "There was no other way to stop them but… I'd burnt them alive, does that make me-"

"Armin, those times you used your flame alchemy, you saved the lives of your comrades; if you had hesitated during the ambush or the night raid then we'd being burying our squad right about now." Levi stated "There's no turning back now, your hands are dirty." Levi looked around the table once more.

"How could you say tha-" Mikasa interjected.

"All of you have plunged your hands into the filth. And that goes for you too, Alphonse." he said, putting attention towards the younger Elric "There's no point trying to work around it any longer; the moment you agreed to teach Armin how to burn people alive, the moment you helped capture that MP for us to torture and the moment you killed a titan, you got your hands plenty dirty. You must accept that there's no coming back from this."

* * *

A gently breeze brushed across Levi's face as he sat on the rooftop of a house just a few doors away from the inn where the others were being held. The sky was a light orange as the sun began to set as his eyes scanned his surroundings. Everything looked relatively peaceful as carts and wagons drove by and people walked along the road and entered shops.

 _Everything's in place_ he thought, he looked down onto his blade, his reflection staring back him with a blank expression, hiding the uneasiness he was feeling. _Where are you…_ he thought as his grip on the handle tighten as his shoulders shifted the cheap cloak that covered his left side but exposed his right arm which held his blade.

Just then the sound of boots landing onto the tiles behind him caught his attention "Hey again, short stuff." greeted a familiar voice with a condescending tone. "It's been what, a few days since we last saw each other?"

"Kenny." Levi growled as he looked down at him from the top of the slanted roof; at this moment he felt nothing but anger at his former mentor for everything he had done, to his comrades and to himself.

"I'm surprised, Levi, you comin' here all on your lonesome self." Kenny said "Like prey walking into a hunter's den." Just off the corner of his eyes he could see others moving in towards him and the sound of zipping cables getting closer.

"I had to get them back, I think even you knew I would." Levi replied.

"You didn't bring any back up?" Kenny asked "Your team too scared to face me again or did you just want to keep 'em out of harm's way?"

 _You have no idea…_

"I could do this on my own." Levi responded.

"Looks like all you brought was those swords of yours, you really must have some kind a death wish." Kenny chuckled. "It's like you learnt nothin' from me, what have I told you about cornering a rat?"

"I'm not the rat here, Kenny" Levi replied, unafraid of his current situation; Without warning a cacophony of gunshots rang in the air as flashes of light and smoke appeared from nearby open windows as members of the anti – personnel squad were ruthlessly gunned down by gunmen scattered all over the neighbourhood. "You are!"

* * *

Few hours before…

Alphonse pushed his glasses back up to his eyes as he and Jean patrolled the area; they were dressed in regular clothes in an attempt to disguise themselves from the people around them. The streets seemed crowded as a member of the military police began handing out leaflets to the people around him

"Special operations unit charged with murder and arson!" he yelled "Commander Erwin summoned to the capital as more scouts join Levi and his gang of rogue soldiers!"

Alphonse took one from the man and nodded towards him as he read out the contents; a list of names from the unit, which included his, lined the column with a detailed telling of the murder of Dimo Reeves and his men, the murder of the mayor of Stohess and others incriminated them as well as the burning of the Stohess records and the warehouse nearby.

"Could you believe this?" said a passerby.

"The scouts' elite killing people" said another.

"You think those Elrics had anything to do with it?" said a person in the crowd "those two might be the ones pulling all the strings in this."

"But didn't they save Trost? They're on our side and they helped save this city during the titan attack." argued another.

"Remember, they said that the royal government has been trying to undermine their efforts." Added another "This could all be lies."

"You're siding with those murderers?" the crowd became to become restless as a heated argument erupted between them.

"They saved this city!"

"They brought the titans here in the first place!"

"How can you believe the government's propaganda?"

"Do you trust the words of traitors?"

"That titan kid and those two freaks are nothing but trouble!"

"Watch your tongue, they were sent here from God!"

It wasn't long before punches were being thrown as general unrest broke out into a riot in the streets. "Everyone, settle down!" yelled one of the MPs as a group of them rushed into the crowd armed with muskets.

"C'mon, let's get out of here" Jean whispered over to Alphonse; the two quickly made their escape through a back alley away from the civil unrest. They approached an empty warehouse, Jean knocked on the door.

"Watchword?" said a voice on the other side.

"It's us, Connie" Jean replied "Open the door." The door opened allowing them to enter through; inside Levi had been inspecting the muskets and weapons brought by Ian as groups of scouts and garrison soldiers began to prepare themselves; Sasha was busy loading muskets, Mikasa was examined her blades carefully as she gently inserted them into the scarab, Mina helped Armin fasten the straps of his gear on and Petra stood with the captain as he examined their new guns.

"You bought these weapons with the money we gave you, correct?" Levi asked. "We can't risk using army supplies and having you exposed in all this."

"Don't worry; my men bought them from either the black market or from some farmers." Ian replied as he handed Levi a sawed off shotgun.

"How does Rico feel about all this?" Levi asked.

"She was hesitant but once I showed her all the details she understood; right now she covering for my absence and telling the officials I'm off on a routine patrol of the front lines." Ian explained.

Levi opened the barrel and loaded in two shells "Good, everything's almost in place then."

"These guys have guns attached to their gear?" Ian asked "That makes our gear almost useless if they can just shoot us."

"Which is why were not just bringing knives into a gunfight." Levi replied as he hid the gun under his cloak. "Are you're men on standby to move people during the fighting?"

"Yes, all we need now is the go ahead." Ian replied.

"Lynne, are the men from your squad ready to move?" Levi asked.

"Yes, we're ready." Lynne replied.

"Okay, let's show this old shit bag what it's like to be taken by surprise."

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Kenny had been caught off guard. And he didn't like it.

Off the corner of his eyes he could see the flashes of light from guns as his some of his men fell to the ground. He took his eyes off eyes of Levi for only a second to catch a glimpse of people armed with muskets standing on the other side of open windows; he quickly looked back at Levi and just about caught him lifting the arm he had hidden under his cloak to reveal a shotgun.

"Sneaky little shit!" he yelled as he pointed his gun towards him; the two quickly stepped to the side as they both pulled the trigger of their weapons. Levi's shells struck the tiles where Kenny once stood as Kenny's shot blew off a chunk of the chimney which Levi quickly hid behind.

"That's him!" yelled a voice from behind him "Swarm him, quickly!" three people, dressed in regular clothes yet strapped in ODM gear, flew towards him as they looked to impale him with their long flesh-pairing blades. Kenny quickly leapt off the roof, pointing his gun towards one of his attackers and pulled the trigger; blowing a chunk of their neck as they spiraled down to the ground. He quickly fired the cables of his gun onto the side of a house as he swung away.

"No!" yelled one of his attackers as they watched their comrade collide into the ground.

"Kenny!" Levi yelled, dragging out his name, as he watched him escape.

As Kenny swung away, he felt a sudden urge to quickly duck his head; he lowered himself as a single arrow narrowly missed him and bounced off the stone wall "Who the hell uses arrows?" he yelled. Kenny then tried to slip through an alleyway when suddenly the walls sealed together with sparks of blue lightening and blocked his escape; he couldn't see him but he knew he was here. "The Elric brat." He growled, he continued down the street as a hooded figure ran onto the road and with a matchbox in his left hand and the match in his right; Kenny knew that for some reason this person was trouble and his fears were confirmed when they stuck the match and a wave of fire burst towards him. Kenny quickly dipped down under the fiery attack, the fire incinerating his hat he quickly knocked it off his head as maintained his getaway but just a few seconds after he cleared that attack he was greeted by a myriad of large stone hands bursting from the ground and the walls of the houses that lined the road; all of which were after him as he dodged the stony gasps of the maze of hands only to be met with another attacker from above, he recognized her face, Levi's second in command. "You again?" he groaned angrily.

Petra zoomed towards him and tried to swing her blades at his head as she descended down; acting quickly Kenny blocked the attack with the axles of his Anti – personnel gear. He spun his hips around and hit her to the side using his leg but Petra was able to make a quick swipe with her blade and sliced at the leg that batted her away.

"Gah!" he yelled as blood dripped from his open wound and splattered onto the ground leaving a red trail as he flew by.

Kenny fired a hook through the open tavern doors and accelerated towards it; bursting through the door. His heels of his boots skidded across the wooden floor as he came to a halt at the bar table. "Shit" he muttered as he looked down at his open wound; he grabbed a bottle of alcohol and poured it onto his wound, hissing from the sting, as he tore off the sleeve from one of the customers and wrapped it around his wound. "Shit, why did I head in here?" he asked himself. There was a boom on the top of the roof, the sound of people landing onto it, with the sound of zipping cables "You go to be shitting me…" he slid over the bar table and onto the other side. The tavern door flapped open to the sound of gasps.

"Captain Levi?" said one of the people in the establishment.

There were a few footsteps heading towards him before suddenly stopping "Come out, Kenny."

* * *

"I missed…" Armin muttered as he stared at the burning houses, his grip on the box of matches tighten as the box began to crumple in his hand. The large hands that tried to grab Kenny began patting down the flames before seemingly melting back into the walls and floor but it couldn't hid the damage he caused. "And all I ended up doing was-"

"Armin, there's no time to dwell on this" said Jean as the rest of the squad rushed out; Alphonse placed his hand on Armin's shoulder and gripped it reassuringly. "We still have to handle the Anti – personnel squad." Jean's voice seemed shaky as he reminded them on their mission. The echo of both distant and nearby gunfire could be heard as the ambush began to spread across the city. "They'll want to save Kenny, so we'll have to stop them in their tracks while Captain Levi and Lieutenant Petra handle him."

"We can't fight them out in the open with their ODM gear." Said Connie, he turn to Mikasa who then looked at him "Well most of us anyway…"

"If we get into a dragged out fight then we'll be quickly overwhelmed." Mina pointed out.

"So we'll need to take them out the second they come here." Jean concluded.

"I might have an idea…" Armin as he stared at the burn marks on the houses.

Less than two minutes had passed as they began placing Armin's plan into practice as the squad took position on the roofs; hiding behind chimneys and in the alleyways as Sasha kept lookout.

"Are you sure about this, Armin?" Alphonse asked.

"I don't like the idea either but it's probably the best option." Armin replied as he took a few matches from the box "Like Levi said at the end we'll try and make things right again." He looked up at Alphonse "Make sure you put out the fire."

"They're coming from the west!" Sasha yelled.

In one long stroke, Armin lit the matches in his hand at once; a burst of fire was directed on to the roofs of some housing in front of their target; the burning wooden panels began to spread a dark cloud of smoke.

Three Anti – Personnel soldiers broke through the wall of smoke and into the vision "What the hell was that?" coughing violently.

"Now!" Jean yelled as he pulled the trigger of his musket; the others quickly followed as they fired on Kenny's men. Nobody knew if they were the one who killed them but all three crashed onto the ground as they bled onto the street. Two more followed burst through the smoke; this time ready for the attack as they pointed their guns at Levi squad before they had time to reload and Armin any time to get out more matches.

Mikasa quickly flew through the alleyway and behind one of them; she impaled the MP through their gas canister and their chest. The other MP turned their body around and pointed their guns as Mikasa, focusing their full attention on her.

"Mikasa, get out of the-" a long pillar on wood burst from one of the houses and caused the MP to slam their lower back into it; taking advantage of the distraction, Mikasa fires her hooks onto the long pillar, zooms over to the other anti-personal squad member and buries her blade into their heart.

Armin watched as the pillar began to recede into the house and the dead body flop to the ground. He turned to face Alphonse, one hand on the roof transmuting and the other clenched into a fist as he didn't look upwards to see.

* * *

"How about we talk it out, what do ya say, Levi?" Kenny asked, it was very clear from his voice that he was in no way sincere about it. _Where the hell are those idiots meant to back me up?_

"Sure Kenny." Levi replied in an equally sarcastic tone "why not just pop your head over that counter and we can talk."

"How'd I know you just won't spray me with that shotgun of yours?" Kenny laughed. "Is this how you treat people you know?" he gazed upon a shotgun lying underneath the counter he was hiding under.

"Only the ones that piss me off" Levi replied "Now get out from under there, I want to see what colour your shitty brains are."

"Captain" Petra said as she stepped into the saloon. Levi raised his hand up slightly, stopping her from moving any further.

"Who's that Levi, she your lady friend?" Kenny joked; he quietly and swiftly turned one of the bottles from his label as he got a small view of the room.

"That's Lieutenant Ral to you, old creep." Petra shot back.

"Have you forgotten? You're all traitors to humanity now; you're the second in command to a group of rogue thugs, you're no longer soldiers" Kenny shot back "Some lieutenant you are though, you abandoned one of your own men. But we'd do anything to survive, am I right?" Kenny loaded shells into the gun quickly. Petra was about to move forward when Levi stopped her.

"Is that why you joined the Military police?" Levi asked "For survival?"

"Let's just say I found something, something I wanted to do; a hobby that made life worth living, worth even killing people for." Kenny took one last look at the reflection of the glass bottle and then slammed the barrel of the shotgun onto the counter "especially you." Levi pulled Petra to the ground as Kenny pulled the trigger; a burst of metal sprayed the room and hit some of the bystanders. "You never should have come here, you little shit." Kenny then took out a small bomb from his pocket and tossed it over the counter. Levi grabbed Petra off the floor and jumped out of the saloon's doors while Kenny fired his hook through a nearby window, onto another building and pulled himself away; all this just as the bomb was about to set off.

BOOM!

Glass shattered onto the ground and the small saloon doors crashed onto the steps as thick grey smoke poured through the window to the sound of ear piercing cries from inside.

Kenny swung away as multiple scouts quickly followed him; he was passing over small houses, trying to outrun them but they were closing in fast. One of them flew towards him, a woman with her hair done up in a ponytail, with her blades ready to impale him; Kenny acted quickly and fired his gun at her, hitting her in the gut as she crashed onto the tiles of a house below.

"Lynne!" yelled one of the scouts as they watched their comrade fall. Kenny fired his hook onto the side of a tall building and swung onto the road where he was met by a man armed with a musket pointing it at him. Kenny swung upwards into the air as the guy took his shot and missed; he aimed his gun and fired it at his head, the shotgun shell tearing through his attacker's face. He landed onto the flat foot of a store house only to be greeted by more people, armed with muskets and shotguns, pointing directly at him.

"Ah geez, can't we just talk it out. Huh?" Kenny said, half jokingly and half sincere. Suddenly his attackers were shot dead from behind as own men, led by Traute, landed onto the roof.

"Captain Ackerman, the enemy-"

"Ambush I know, I know." Kenny said.

"We're taken heavy casualties; close to half of our remaining squad were killed." Traute informed him.

"That ain't good" Kenny commented "That midget, I don't know whether I should be furious or proud that he thought of this."

"What are your orders?" Traute asked.

"Get everyone out of the city; they're here for us and they won't stop till they've killed every last one of us." Kenny replied. "Rally back with Rod and the captured brats; we're close to achieving our goal so there's no point in continuing this fight."

* * *

Eren lay there in the pitch black, his body restrained by leather belts which wrapped around his arms, body and legs within the cushion of the coffin they'd placed him in. He could hear the sound of movement outside of his box; mummers and shuffling as they carried his container around and gently slid it onto what sounded like a table.

The coffin lid was slowly open as the dim candle light illuminated the room. In front of him was Kenny who held the lid of his coffin. "Hey Eren, how'd the trip feel?" he asked sarcastically.

Eren growled in response; the metal rod in his mouth preventing him from talking. He sat up from his coffin; the small room around him was almost empty save for another coffin. From the corner of his eye he could see another person near a second coffin; it was a short middle aged man with dark hair and big round blue eyes, also like…

 _Rod Reiss!_

Eren watched as Rod undid the metal rod in Historia's mouth _He's the one, the king whose been getting in our way, the enemy of humanity; if this guy is an irredeemable bastard…_

Historia spat the metal rod from her mouth and growled at him but Rod looked back at her with tears in his eyes "Historia, I'm so sorry, please forgive me." He asked as he brought her in for a hug.

"Oi, blonde, you awake?" Kenny asked as he lifted the lid from the other coffin, Eren turned his attention to the other coffin as Kenny pulled the head of the third person.

 _Annie!_

She was still unconscious by the looks of it "Oi, c'mon" Kenny said as he flicked her ear before dropping her back into the coffin.

"Annie…" Historia muttered as she caught sight of their former comrade turned traitor.

Rod slowly let go of Historia as he turned towards Kenny "Good work capturing the other shifter; who knows what they would have been able to do with her at their disposal. But know we only have one of the Elric brothers and Levi Ackerman to worry about now"

"Yeah… about that…" Kenny said in the tone of a guilty person being caught yet not caring. "Bring him in." he yelled. The door to a conjoining room open as three people walked in; two MPs holding a person in the middle, dressed in plain clothes, wearing combat boots with a straw bag wrapped around their head as they forced them onto their knees. The MP to the left snatched the bag from their head to reveal a mess of long gold blond hair. One of the MPs grabbed at the person hair and roughly lifted their head up.

 _Ed!_

There was a massive bruise around his right eye, swelling on the left side of his face with red marks near his temple, his clothes looked dishevelled with patches of blood and dirt streaked all over it and his hair looked to dripping with water and a long piece of cloth covering his mouth. Both Rod and Historia gasped as they saw him.

"How you doing, Ed?" Kenny asked as he knelt down, seeing him eye to eye. "Have you reconsidered? Just nod yes if you have" Ed glared at him as he moved his head slightly up; Kenny brought his face a little closer. Ed then quickly slammed his head into Kenny nose, Kenny fell back slightly as the cloth around Ed's mouth loosen enough to fall from his mouth.

"Fuck you, I'm not helping you with your stupid pla-" Before Ed could finish his sentence Kenny quickly kicked his in the face, shutting him up as the MPs tied the cloth back around his mouth."

 _Ed!_ Eren tried to break free from his binds but to no avail; he could only wiggle around as the MPs restrained Ed.

"Kenny, what is the meaning of this?" Rod demanded "I thought I told you to kill them, you just went against me, after everything I've done for you, everything Yuri done-"

"Can it will ya?" Kenny interjected as he got off the floor "Why does it matter if I let him live anyway? We use the tech we capture from people all the time, why is this any different?"

"Any different? He isn't some tool to be used, he's our enemy." Rod yelled.

"Where's your imagination, Rod?" Kenny asked nonchalantly "Imagine what we could do with him if we just rein him in; if the First squad had that power than it won't matter who comes after us in the future." Ed let out a muffled yell in response "Give it some time though."

Eren watched as both Kenny and Rod looked at each other with suspicion; it wasn't hard to tell that there was tension between them.

 _If Rod asked Kenny to kill Ed, then why didn't he go through with it? If Rod didn't need them then does Kenny need them instead?_

* * *

"Haven't we gone a little too far?" Hitch asked as she and Marlowe patrolled a nearby dense forest outside of Stohess district. Sunlight seeped through the cracks between the leaves and thick branches only shedding patches of light around them.

"We won't find them inside town." Marlowe responded as he scanned the bushes and tree line for the rogue soldiers.

Hitch sighed "Why'd I have to be stuck with you?" she asked bored "Unless you just wanted to spend some alone time with me." She suggested, almost jokingly.

"Hitch, sorry but I didn't want you as a partner either." Marlowe said bluntly.

"Is that so?" Hitch replied, somewhat agitated "well then that's fine."

"It's odd though; why would Levi squad and a bunch of other soldiers just up and rebel against the king and become traitors of humanity?" Marlowe asked "They were there to help humanity and they even stopped an attack from the Colossal and Armoured titan on the district."

"Stopped the attack?" Hitch questioned "They couldn't prevent turning the district into a warzone; think about it, they were there just when the Colossal and Armoured titan showed up, so they knew." Marlowe was taken aback from the serious tone in Hitch's voice "If they had done more than… Annie might still be here."

"I understand, Hitch" Marlowe replied "But had they not intervened then who knows what might have hap-"

"Quiet!" Hitch yelled as she raised her gun up, Marlowe immediately followed suit "I hear water." The two walked forward as a small stream and a hooded figure crouched down came in sight. The two quietly approached the figure, their guns pointed at them, as they got closer they could make out the ODM gear attached to the person's body.

"Don't move!" Marlowe ordered "Hands up and turn around." The figure raised their hands up as they stood from the ground and turned to face them, they looked to be only marginally taller than Hitch. The leather straps of their gear were on display but the hood shielded their eyes from them. "Lower your hood slowly." The figure gently grabbed the top of their hood and lowered it from their face. He had a broad face, short gold blond hair and golden eyes "Holy shit, you're one of the Elrics." Marlowe exclaimed, remembering the briefing on their descriptions.

"Hands apart!" Hitch ordered as she pointed her rifle at him.

"Don't make a sound." Marlowe instructed "What you'll say and do will be-" suddenly they felt the cold steel of a sharp blade press against their throats as their right arm was forced behind their backs.

"Hand over the muskets." Alphonse calmly demanded as he took the weapons from them.

"Don't try anything." Levi ordered. Suddenly more people came out of the bushes pointing their guns at them; they had the two completely surrounded.

"How long had you been following us?" Marlowe asked.

"Long enough, next time you're out hunting for someone try to be more mindful of your surroundings, now get on your knees." Levi ordered calmly. Two others came towards them and tied up their hands as the two behind them unlatched their ODM gear and scarabs, tossing it to the side in a pile "Was there anyone else in your group?"

"No" Marlowe replied.

Levi moved in front of them; looking down at them "I remember you two; you're the MPs that stopped two of my squad members from leaving." Levi said "what trainee corps are you from?"

"104th" Hitch replied.

"New recruits…" Levi said "Military police still keeping the tradition of leaving the work to the recruits alive then." There was a zipping sound as boots hit the grass and jogged towards them; it was two other people. "Petra and Sasha, was anyone else following them?"

"No, looks like they were the only two." Petra replied.

"So the meeting point hasn't been compromised then." Levi stated "We'll wait here for the survey team to report on Eren and Historia's location." Levi turned back towards them, his blade resting on his shoulder "As for you two…"

"Tell me something…" Hitched demanded, her voice shaking slightly "You knew there would be a titan attack, that's why you were at the district, right?"

"Yes" Levi replied.

"If you knew than why did you let them into the district?" Hitch questioned.

"You want the truth? We originally planned to trap the shifters in the underground but they caught on at the last minute." Levi explained "I guess the saving grace of that botched plan was that no one else, other than our own men, was killed."

"No one else!" Hitch yelled furiously "It's because of your stupid plan my roommate was killed by those titans!" she then turned towards the people around her "You're all from the southern training corps, aren't you?" she glared at them "Annie was a part of you guys, did you know her?" the people around her gave Hitch a shocked look at the revelation "Of course you didn't, she was so dark and anti-social; always wanting to keep to herself." One of the team members pointing their guns slowly lowered it "But still, I wanted to get to know her and now I'll never get the chance. Because of you the titans probably ripped her to pieces!"

"No, the reason you haven't seen Annie was because she's the Female titan." Levi stated simply. "We captured here during the 57th expedition and used her to discover the identities of the others; but now she's God knows where with the interior first squad, we don't know if she's even alive at this point." Both Hitch and Marlowe stared at Levi in complete shock at what he had told them "Finding out that the people close to you are your enemy is shitty, Mina over there was probably her closet friend "he pointed towards one of his squad members "everyone's being kept in the dark about the truth of this world and only those in the centre know everything." Levi lowered his blade, pointing it towards the ground. Nearby the sound of horse and rustling bushes could be heard.

"Captain, the survey team is here." Sasha announced.

"We've got someone to meet so we'll have to push you aside for now; we'll untie you when once we're finished. You have my word on that." Levi told them.

"Annie…" Hitch muttered a member of their squad walked in front of her; Hitch looked up to see Mina looking at her with a slightly sad expression.

"C'mon" she said as she helped Hitch up to her feet and then Marlowe. She waved them forward towards the bottom of a cliff "We'll wait here for a while." The three sat down.

"Tell me something, did your squad kill those people?" Marlowe asked "The mayor, Dimo Reeves and his workers?"

"No, I was there when they killed Dimo Reeves, it was a guy named Kenny and the interior MPs who did it; his men shot them point blank and Kenny cut Dimo's throat with a knife." Mina explained "They then attacked us and kidnapped our friends, including Annie."

"So you were friends with Annie?" Hitch asked.

"Yeah, I… I guess I still am…" Mina replied, pausing in between her words as if to ponder on the question. "I'm the only person that talks to her now; that was kind of the case back during the training corps but now…." Mina paused for a second and looked to the ground.

"Even after you found out she was a titan shifter?" Hitch followed up.

"I know that what she's done is terrible but I also know that it hurt her to do it. She doesn't show it but she is a person who really does care about the people around her; I would catch glimpses of person during the training years and even when we'd talk in her cell." Mina looked up back at them "It may have been naïve and stupid but I promised her I'd stay by her side and I intend to keep that promise."

"Then let me help you." Hitch declared to both Marlowe and Mina's surprise.

"Hitch?!" Marlowe exclaimed.

"Woah I wasn't trying to recruit you into our cause or anything" Mina tried to explain.

"Well you just did, if what you said about Annie was true then I want to help her by helping you." Hitch replied "She was always so cold and reserved but if what you say is true then I want to know the real her."

"I want to help you guys too!" Marlowe added catching Mina off guard "I'll do anything to help right the wrongs in this world!"

"I… I'm not the person you got to convince." Mina explained "You've got to tell that to captain Levi."

Marlowe stood up from the ground "Please take us back to him so we can make our case." He said, almost pleading.

Mina looked at them with a surprised look "You know, you remind of two people I know" she remarked with a smile "Okay, let's go." Mina led the two from their space towards Captain Levi who looked to be in discussion with a tall figure with their hood up holding a map.

"So you've got nothing then?" said Levi to the hooded figure.

"We covered an area about this wide and couldn't find anything; no strange wagons, no horses and just farmland and villages." said the figure, he spoke in a deep and rough voice. Levi quickly caught notice of them walking towards him.

"What is it?" Levi asked "This better be important."

"Captain Levi, we want to help you and the cause." Marlowe opened with "You sounded as if you needed help finding something; the MPs have an extensive library and data records back at our headquarters in Stohess, it could hold what you're looking for."

"And you would have access to that?" Levi questioned.

"He puts in a lot of work so the officers just let him in whenever." Hitch added.

"That could work actually." Said the hooded figure, he turned around to look at them; he looked to be a middle aged man with blond hair and a dark thin mustache. "The name's Hannes."

"If I'm to trust you then I need to know something; why did you stop two members of my squad from leaving Stohess district that night?" Levi questioned. "You could have just left it, it certainly wasn't your problem, yet you still did it."

"Because it was the right thing to do" Marlowe replied. "Not just because of chain of command but for humanity too.

"So its humanity that you have in heart" Levi remarked "If you want in then okay but be aware there's no turning back from this; even if you back stab us in the end, you'll know too much for the royal government to let you live so us winning this thing is the only way we're making it out alive." Both Marlowe and Hitch nodded as if to confirm their allegiance.

"Look kids, if you can find out any possible locations for where the Reiss family can be hiding then please do." He said showing them the map "We're running against the clock here so if you can help us we'd greatly appreciate it."

"You can count on us." Hitch replied with a friendly smile.

* * *

Better late than never I guess…

I'm sorry for the long wait; I'm doing my third year at University and I've been bogged down with long essays and reading for my dissertation. I've basically been writing, at most, few hours a week.

Also trying to get back into the habit of writing again; I wrote another crossover story to help get over my mental block. (But I do plan on solely focusing on writing and improving this story for the foreseeable future.)

In light of recent events…

Friendship with World cup ended, now UEFA Nations league is my best friend.


	38. Chapter 38: The Powerless Elite

**Chapter 38: The Powerless Elite**

"C'mon, c'mon." Marlowe urged Hitch as the hastily rushed through the corridors of the Stohess military headquarters.

"How about you keep your voice down" Hitch snapped in a hushed tone "You trying to draw attention to us?" Ever since they stepped inside the building Marlowe had been on edge; changing their allegiances to the rogue soldiers and now having to act as spies. "Stop looking so damn tense, we were here like a few hours ago."

"Hannes is waiting for us." Marlowe reminded "And we're running against the clock here." He moved his hand slightly in a waving motion; trying to spur Hitch on to jog.

"Private Freudenberg." Called out an officer, both Marlowe and Hitch came to an abrupt halt and their bodies immediately tensed up at the sound of the officer's voice. "And Private Dreyse, you're back and you seem to be in a rush; where are you heading?"

"Well ah… I-"

"Well you know Marlowe, always wanting to get work done ahead of schedule." Hitch quickly interjected followed with a light laugh and a soft punch to Marlowe arm "I'm just tagging along to make sure he isn't lonely."

"Straight to work after the patrol?" the Officer asked perplexed "You're a pretty serious guy." The officer waved them off "Alright, get on with it then." He said as they walked away.

Marlowe let out a deep sigh "I thought we were done for."

"Just stop freaking out" Hitch pushed him forward slightly "now c'mon, the archives remember?" they hastily moved forward and found the door to the Military Police's archives; Marlowe opened the door and scanned the inside before stepping inside.

"Looks clear." He said as he made his way in, Hitch walked in and quietly closed the door behind them. "We're looking for anything related to the Reiss family." Marlowe said as he began pulling books from the shelves and flicking through them in a speedy rush. They were taking sections of books off the shelves looking for something that they could use.

"I think I found something!" Hitch exclaimed, she was waving the book at Marlowe.

"What'd you find?" Marlowe asked as he jogged towards her.

"It's a report from five years ago about the Reiss family, says here that most of the family had died in a bandit attack." Hitched handed the book to Marlowe.

"They died on the same day Wall Maria fell." Marlowe pointed out.

"That can't just be a coincidence." Hitch said.

"I think you're right." Marlowe said, he continued to scan read the report "Only Rod Reiss survived the attack and spent his time and money rebuilding the church his family died in."

"Yeesh… that's kind of grim." Hitch commented.

"Church was practically demolished, foundations and all, if the reading is correct." Marlowe added. "What kinds of bandits have weapons that can destroy an entire building?"

"Maybe it wasn't a bandit." Hitch suggested "Maybe it was a Titan…" it was said almost half jokingly…

Marlowe's eyes widen slightly at the sudden realization "Holy shit… it had to have been a shifter like Annie!" he exclaimed before quickly lowering his voice. "C'mon let's get this book to Hannes." They quickly rushed out of the archives and through the headquarters. Outside the night air was cold and the tension thick; the city still reeling from the riot and battle that had just commenced not so long ago.

Everywhere it seemed that Military police officers and garrison soldiers were on patrol; both Marlowe and Hitch walked as calmly as they could away from the building and towards the public stables where Hannes and his men were.

They cut into the alleyway where the smell of hay and manure lingered in the air "Hey kids." Waved a hooded figure, it was Hannes. The two jogged towards him "You got the information?"

"Yeah, right here." Marlowe said as he handed him the book "We may have a good first location on where Eren and the others might be."

"A chapel huh?" Hannes said as he read through the report "Alright, let's get this back to Levi and the others then."

* * *

Kenny sat on front row of benches that faced a stone alter in the chapel of the Reiss family, sat up against the alter was Ed still tied up but still giving Kenny a look like he wanted to both punch and kick his teeth in.

"Tell me Ed, you and your brother, ya believe in a God?" Kenny asked him. "I mean ya must have heard about the stories from the town folk about how's ya been sent from heaven to save us."

Ed was quiet for a few seconds; perhaps he didn't want to humour Kenny… "I don't believe… I know. I've seen the bastard; stories about us being sent by God aren't all bullshit but most of it is." Kenny's interest spiked a bit as he continued to listen "It was a deal; we'd help this world and in exchange we got whatever we wanted."

"Sounds like the best kind of deal." Kenny remarked "Ya know… I think I've met God too, probably not your one, some kind of God at least. Guy was the kindest but strongest son of a bitch I've seen; I'd never seen a titan before he had me in his grasp but looking at him… I knew this guy was something else… something above human."

"You're talking about the coordinate… Eren's titan." Ed said "you think that thing is a God."

"Yep, I heard about all that shit like how it can control all of humanity; someone with that kind of power would probably be the toughest son of bitch in the world… of course the problem is they might be second only to the God that gave you ya alchemy." Kenny began to smile at Ed; there was an overtly sinister feeling to his expression of happiness. "I wonder... if ya got a way of meeting God, perhaps the coordinate and it could meet face to face one day."

Ed sneered at him "You're insane."

"For someone so smart ya really are closed minded." Kenny commented. "Don't cha wanna see something like that? Who'd ya think would win in a fight, ya God or the coordinate? Now that's something I want to find out."

"They wouldn't last five seconds…" Ed muttered to himself. Kenny ignored Ed and kept going with his train of thought.

"Let's talk about something else, shall we?" Kenny stood up from the chapel bench and walked towards Ed; he knelt down, coming face to face with him, before laying out some papers they stole from the castle raid. "How about telling us how alchemy works? My guys probably gone over it a couple times and I can't make sense of it myself but I'm sure you can."

"I keep telling you… not gonna happen, I'll die before I teach you pathetic murders."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Kenny walked over from the stone alter towards the chapel door; he opened the door to find found Traute and some of his men. She nodded at him, signalling that they got it.

"I know ya willing to die for ya principles and all." Kenny replied he turned his head back to his men; Traute and the others then barged through the entrance dragging to two people with them. A woman and a little girl. "But what about if other people have to die cus' of ya principles?" Ed looked completely dumbstruck at what he was seeing. "So… you gotta choose; either helps us make sense of this" he pointed to the stolen papers laying in front of Ed "or…" the Anti-personal squad members cocked their guns and aimed it at the woman and child's heads, both of them were crying rivers of tears as they flinched at the sound. "They die and it will be your fault."

"Sick bastard, leave them alone." Ed growled as he struggled to get up.

"Choose brat, what will it be." Kenny repeated, this time more impatient.

"Fuck you, I'm not playing your sick games and I'm not helping you." Ed yelled.

"You know what Ed; I've been real patient with ya." Kenny pushed one of his men who were standing behind the captives to the side and pulled out his knife "Think I'm just about done." He placed the knife to the neck of the girl; she looked to be about eleven or twelve… it didn't matter to Kenny anyways…

"No please!" the mother begged "please don't let them do this!" Kenny pressed the edge to the side of the neck, the blade cut in slightly as a drop of blood down her skin.

"Wait!" Ed yelled catching Kenny's attention; Kenny looked up to see Ed, looking at the ground in an almost defeated manner. "I'll do it…"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Kenny asked in a mocking tone as he placed his hand at the back of his ear.

"I said I'll fucking do it!" Ed repeated.

"That's what I like to hear." Kenny said with a toothy smile. "You guys, start learning from him and make sure to keep the gun to those two's heads if he starts acting up again." He took the knife from the girl's neck and placed it back into his pocket as his men dragged them towards Ed. Kenny walked away and stepped outside of the chapel.

 _A grand dream…_ he thought as he looked up to the sky. _It hurts to know just how small we really are…_

"Sir" Traute said "You think this is going to work?"

"Beats me" Kenny replied "but we're kind of out of options at this point; can't exactly replace the guys we lost so we'll just have to beef up the ones we got left, if only by a little."

"They're no match for the younger Elric or that other kid who can burn people; it wouldn't even be a fight between novices and experts." Traute stated.

"They didn't have a chance even without it." Kenny pointed out "All they got to do hold them off long enough for rest of the plan to go into motion."

"This is a completely desperate move." Traute added.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Kenny replied.

"After you get the coordinate, do you still plan on keeping Ed alive?" Traute asked.

"There's still one more thing I want to use him for, once I get the coordinate" Kenny paused for a second and looked up at the stars once more "Ya know something I always wanted to know what it was like for Uri to look at us but now I wanna know what's it like… for the God that sent them to look down at everyone from up there."

 _It must be nice… to be so powerful…_

 _The undisputed power in this world and beyond…_

* * *

A couple hours after the attack…

"This is the place, squad leader." Moblit said as he pointed to the bronze plaque on the wall which read 'Berg Newspapers'. Hange knocked on the door. "It's going to be a risky move, squad leader."

"I know, Moblit." Hange responded "Let's hope I'm able to convince them." She said with a wry smile.

The door opened to reveal a young man with short black hair underneath a black cap, wearing smart clothes and thick rimmed glasses. "Hello, you must be squad leader Hange Zoe and her second in command, Moblit Berner. Please come in." he said. The two entered into the building; there were two floors, a downstairs where the printing presses were and an upstairs which held a small office filled with old desks and stacks of paper and two open windows. Sitting at one of the desks was a portly old man.

"Please make yourself comfortable." The young man said. Moblit sat down while Hange continued to stand.

"I'm more comfortable standing if that's alright." She said as she looked around the room.

 _Wood; carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, calcium…_

She closed the office door and leaned her back up against it.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves, my names Peaure and Roy here is the chief journalist." The young man said as he sat down. "It's very nice of you to talk about Captain Levi's betrayal with us; I know it must be difficult for you considering that some of your own comrades were among them during the attack recently."

"Yes… traitors of humanity, that's what they're being called now." Hange said as she looked at her feet. "I guess that's how they'll be portrayed to the public after years of devotion to advancing humanity."

"It's a shame but raising arms against the king is a crime against humanity." Roy said, looking disinterested.

Hange reached into the pocket of her jacket and pull out a piece of chalk "You wouldn't mind if I do something quickly, for science?" Hange said with an innocent enough smile on her face.

"Uh… yeah, go ahead." Peaure said, he looked perplexed as to why Hange had the chalk in her hand.

Hange turned around to face the wall, she turned her head back "This office wall is entirely wood, right?" she asked.

"Yeah why?" Peaure asked.

"Just want to test something, you can ask us questions while I do this." She said as she began to scribble on the walls of the office, starting with drawing a circle.

"Um…okay…" Peaure and Roy watched her with confused looks on their faces while Moblit just sat with a neutral expression. "So your comrades, how close were you two to them."

"Very close." Hange replied as she began to draw some details "When you're in the scout regiment you learn to trust your comrades with your life; we were like family." Hange stepped back slightly as she tried to admire her work "We would do almost anything for each other."

The two looked confused as to what Hange had drawn on the wall of their office. They didn't know.

It was a transmutation circle.

"Like making sure their names are cleared." Hange said as she placed her hand on the transmutation circle; a bright sky blue light emanated from the circle. Roy and Peaure looked confused and scared at the sight before them, when the walls began to overlap over the windows and door did they suddenly start to panic.

The room was quickly consumed by the darkness, blocking their vision but not before the two saw the wooden hands reaching out to hold them in place.

Moblit lit a match to light some candles as a dim light breached through the pitch black room; the two struggled in vain to break free from the wooden hands sprouting up from the ground, like something out of a nightmare. Hange grabbed and empty chair, placed it down facing them and sat down. "Gentlemen, tell me, why do intend on slandering the names of my subordinates?" she asked in a subdued angered tone. "I can make the grip of these hands tighter if you want; all you have to do is not comply."

"Please you have to understand, we the king and the royal government have had control over us since the beginning." Roy explained "We print only what we're told to."

"I see and if you don't comply then you'll face repercussions?" Hange asked.

"Yes." Roy replied. "I have a family to think about; I can't let anything happen to them."

"I understand." Hange replied "But Roy, continuing to follow the royal government's orders won't keep your family safe forever."

"What do you mean?" Roy asked.

"Hear me out, Roy." Hange asked "I may have the biggest story you'll ever publish in your life."

* * *

One day after the attack…

"Commander Pixis, it's a pleasure to meet you again." Erwin said as he shook his hand.

"Likewise" Pixis said, he pulled Erwin slightly closer "Is everything set on your end?" he asked in a hushed tone, the scout officers accompanying Erwin huddle around the two commanders as if to hid their conversation.

"If Hange can successful leak the information about the coordinate to the public then yes." Erwin replied. "Does the Premier know?"

"I informed Darius a few days ago about what we know, it's now up to him on how he'd act on it." Pixis replied.

"So we just have to stall for time then until everything falls into place." Erwin responded, Pixis nodded in agreement.

Pixis began to loudly laugh "You really should relax once in a while, please join me for a drink today" he caught the attention of everyone waiting speaking as loudly as he did, Pixis then walked away with his delegation.

Erwin stood in the hallway of the chancellery as he and the other scout officers waited to be summoned by the king and his council. Dressed all formally in their long brown coats to denounce Levi squad and commit themselves to hunting down their former comrades. He looked down at the marble floor, polished to a mirror shine, his reflection staring back at him with the same serious expression.

"Talk about being in an unfriendly environment." Gelgar commented as he looked around at the MPs glaring at them.

"Our divisions haven't been on friendly terms since the battle, word is many of them blame you for the attack." Nanaba added, looking at Erwin.

"It doesn't matter if they do." Erwin replied "This will all change soon, we just have to place our hope in commander Pixis for now."

"Here's hoping nothing fucks up." Gelgar added "Though given our track record that might be asking for too much."

"This feels like a set up." Nanaba commented "Like were walking into an ambush."

"Like trying to force us to talk shit about our comrades." Gelgar replied.

"Erwin!" someone called out, the sound of footsteps marching towards them grew louder, Erwin turned his head in its direction and saw Nile walking up to them. "Erwin, what the hell are you planning?" he said, his tone was hushed yet it wasn't hard to tell he was agitated.

"Don't know what you mean, Nile." Gelgar interjected.

"Don't butt into this; this is between me and Erwin." Nile replied.

"You're going to have to be more specific, Nile." Erwin asked.

"Why the hell has it taken you this long to condemn your former subordinates' actions?" Nile questioned. "You may have allowed Levi the opportunity to gain more followers from your ranks."

"I was informed that I and the other officers of the scout regiment were to present ourselves to the king and his assembly in due time." Erwin explained.

"You should have denounced him sooner yet you stalled, you only scheduled the meeting with the king and the assembly now when the rouge soldiers burnt down a section of Stohess." Nile stepped a bit closer, moving past Gelgar and Nanaba, their faces only a couple inches away from each other "So what the hell are you planning?"

Erwin didn't say anything at first "You're right Nile; you've always known what kind of person I was ever since we were I the cadets." Erwin responded. "But I'm not the one who's going to act, that will be up to others. And possibly you, should you decide to."

Nile looked as though he was about to respond when the large grand white doors of the chancellery hall opened, catching everyone's attention, as a soldier bearing the symbol of the royal government on his uniform welcomed them. "Commanders, please enter, the king and his assembly will see you now."

They moved in the grand hall and at the head of was a platform where a large throne was place; a tired old man sat with his head resting on his clenched fist as four other men sitting on smaller chairs flanked him on both sides. Erwin, flanked by his subordinate officers, approached the platform; their heads tilted up slightly to look at the men seated at their thrones as military police officers carrying muskets surrounded them.

"Commander Erwin, it's a pleasure to meet you again." Said an old man said, dressed in the clothes of the clergy with his necklace decorated with the faces of Maria, Rose and Sina.

"As you know we are living in turbulent times; the fall of Wall Maria and the treachery of Captain Levi along with rogue elements of the military who seek to threaten the peace and overthrow the king." Another one of the men added, a portly fellow dressed in fancy clothes. "We had hoped that you would denounce this treachery to discourage more of your subordinates from joining these criminals but its better now than never I suppose, even if your hesitance could be responsible for the attack on Stohess quite recently."

"Commander Erwin, we're waiting to hear your denouncement of your former subordinate and what you plan to do about the situation." said another, an old lanky looking man.

All while the assembly were talking at Erwin, the king hadn't said a word; instead he continued to watch Erwin in a disinterested manner. A false king.

"Before I do so I must ask; what do you intend on doing with the Elrics and Eren Yeager as they are currently affiliated with the rogue elements of the military?" Erwin asked.

"If they are to be captured alive then they'll face trial and sentenced." The assembly member stated clearly. Erwin knew that Eren wouldn't get a trial; he'd be eaten by their chosen successor instead and manipulate the memories of humanity for their purposes, whatever they were, but what he did want to know was how they'd treat both Ed and Alphonse.

"And if the sentence is death?" Erwin asked.

"Then so be it." That was all Erwin needed to know.

"My King, royal assembly, I do not think that denouncing captain Levi and the rouge soldiers now would be a wise decision." Erwin announced. There were gasps among some of the other military figures and royal government officials present. The assembly looked at Erwin shocked and confused, while the king still watched him, disinterested.

"You're not here to denounce your traitorous comrades?" questioned one of the members "Why is that then?"

"Captain Levi has dedicated himself to humanity for half a decade now." Erwin stated "He and his second in command Petra Ral have constantly risked their lives for the good of humanity time after time; to question them is to question their dedication to humanity and to denounce them would be to disregard all the sacrifices they've made for the cause. His skill and strength has given hope to those in the walls that the Titans can be beaten; it's why the people have given him the mantle of 'Humanity's strongest soldier.'" Erwin argued, his voice was commanding as ever "That's not to mention to immense contribution of the Elrics and Eren Yeager towards humanity's survival and its victory over our foes; to denounce and hunt them down could only damage humanity and ruin our plans to retake wall Maria."

"You dare to stand before your king and his assembly to argue in favour of these traitors?" questioned one of the members "Tell us, are you in league with the traitors?"

"I'm telling you that to lose such important members would be a crushing loss for humanity as a whole; they're irreplaceable to our success." Erwin stated. "Surely you of all people, whom are privy to a wide range of knowledge, know this."

"I know the Elrics very well." Said the portly assembly member, distain in his voice "I remember our encounter with the eldest and how he questioned our devotion to humanity, the sheer arrogance; an outsider questioning the loyalty of us. And now he and his brother might as well be in open rebellion against the crown."

"Then you would also know the level of support they hold among the people; if you were to sentence them to death then you'd risk as mass rebellion from the people." Erwin said, changing the subject slightly. "It would be foolish to allow them to die when they hold so much favour with the public; the best solution would be to negotiate with both sides to maintain the social fabric of the walls… unless you have a way of changing that."

"You're aware that Levi and his men are responsible for multiple deaths involved in a fight at Stohess, correct?" questioned one of the members. "There's evidence that the Elrics were involved in said battle."

"I'm very aware of that" Erwin replied.

"Do you believe that the people will continue to support them if they learn that they're responsible the damage to the city?" questioned another member "As an advocate for the people in these Walls it's of my opinion that they and Levi's squad are a threat to the peace."

"Commander Pixis, what is your opinion on this matter?" asked another assembly member.

"Humans killing other humans is sheer madness." Pixis stated clearly "If a conflict were to ignite in our world then surely all of humanity would be doomed; this I've told to the men and women under my command during the battle for Trost."

"Tell me, honorable member, how can you call yourself an advocate for the people when they are so starkly divided?" Erwin challenged.

"The people are divided because of the mass misinformation being spread." countered the assembly member. "All of which tried to paint the scout regiment in a positive light; strange, don't you think, would it be wrong to assume the scout regiment has been involved somehow?"

"Perhaps it isn't Levi and his band of rogue criminals we should be worried about, maybe the real problem is right in front of us." Another assembly member commented the surrounding military police began to stare at Erwin and the other scout officers.

Suddenly the double doors to the hall burst open as commander-in-chief Darius entered followed by dozens of armed soldiers filling the hall; he assembly members got off their seats while the king remained in his with his expression remaining disinterested by the sudden state of affairs.

"I've just been informed of some very interesting news; it seems that Yeager's titan has the ability to manipulate walled humanity's memories and that he's now been apprehended by the interior police whom respond only to the King." Darius stated "Of course the King isn't this old bastard sitting on that gilded throne but instead Rod Reiss, an assembly member who just so happens to not be here in this important meeting, what a strange coincidence."

"Darius, what is the meaning of this?" an assembly member questioned.

"If you're asking who organised this, it was me." Pixis declared.

"Pixis!"

"Erwin had told me about your proposal to Edward Elric; you were to use them solely as an enforcer to your will." Pixis stated "It wasn't hard to piece to together that you intend to do the same using Eren Yeager's titan, humanity's greatest assets to its survival and future and you all wish to use them to solidify your own power. Nothing short of pure selfishness."

"You bastards, you think the people will just follow you because you have your guns pointed at us?" one of the members shot back defensively "There are still masses of people who will support the king over anyone else."

"Of course people support the king, it's just now they know that a false king sits on the throne." Darius said, in his hands was a roll of newspaper "New edition of the Berg; says here that the deaths of Dimo Reeves and his men were at the hands of the First interior squad along with the kidnapping of Eren Yeager and information about the coordinate and the true king." Darius handed Nile the newspaper, scan reading it as a look of shock became more apparent as he went on.

"Commander Dok, do something about this!" ordered one of the assembly members.

The MPs in the room had their guns lowered slightly as they waited for orders; members of the garrison who accompanied Darius did the same. Both sides were waiting for the other to make a move.

"Is all this true?" Nile questioned, he looked directly at Erwin.

"Yes but you're going to have to trust me." Erwin replied calmly, like the whole room wasn't about to erupt into a bloodbath.

"Damn it" Nile muttered "Officers, stand down!" he ordered. "Help the garrison to arrest these men."

* * *

One day after the attack…

The moonlight seeped through the cracks left between the leaves in the dense forest; hidden under the darkness of the thick shadows was a worn and abandoned stable where Levi squad hid and waited for news by the others.

Most of the team appeared to be resting while Alphonse huddled Levi and Mikasa together by a corner, the three sat on small crates as they huddled around to form a small circle "What is it?" Levi asked.

"Captain, I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner, I didn't tell both of you" Alphonse said "So much had happened that it just slipped my mind but you deserve to know. Back during our ambush Dimo Reeves was talking to Kenny and he mentioned that your full name was Levi Ackerman." Mikasa's eyes widen immediately while Levi raised his eyebrows up slightly "It might be a complete coincidence but I just thought you two should know, you two might be related somehow."

"Thank you for telling us, Alphonse." Levi turned to Mikasa "Mikasa, can I ask you something?"

"What?" Mikasa replied

"Your parents, was there anything usually that you remember about them?" Levi asked.

"My parents were exiled for some reason; we had to live in the mountains away from everyone." Mikasa stated "We don't remember why it was but that for a while but the only thing my dad knew was that anyone with the name Ackerman was hunted and so was my mother but that was because she was an Asian, for some reason that must have ended."

"Was there ever a moment where you suddenly felt a sudden rush of power?" Levi asked.

Mikasa was silent for a second, a look of realization appeared on her face "Yes, years ago."

"Kenny told me he once had a moment like that; all at once he suddenly felt a ridiculous amount of strong and he suddenly knew what to do at any given moment when his life was on the line." Levi explained "I had a moment like that."

Alphonse listened to them; in his mind he was piecing together his memories of both of them and their seemingly super human abilities; it was beginning to make sense. There was clearly something special about the Ackerman family.

"Kenny's in league with the royal government so that must be why we're weren't immediately killed for stepping out of the shadows." Levi stated "If anyone knows about all this shit then Kenny must be the guy."

"Should we capture him then?" Alphonse asked.

Levi was silent for a few seconds, likely pondering on the suggestion "No… we can't risk it; if you see him, kill him on sight." He said looking at both Mikasa and Alphonse "Out of everyone in this squad, if we're going to take that bastard down then it most likely will have to fall on us."

Alphonse felt an immense feeling of uneasy at the suggestion that the burden of killing Kenny could fall on him; he felt sick to his stomach when he helped Mikasa kill that antipersonnel squad member. A migraine began to flare up as the memories of the battle flooded his mind.

 _I didn't do it_

 _I wasn't the one_

 _I didn't do it_

 _I wasn't the one_

 _I didn't kill that person_

 _I wasn't the one that killed them_

 _I only just helped…_

Alphonse placed his elbow on his leg as he held his thumping head "You think you can do that, Alphonse?" Levi asked. "Your comrades will be counting on you."

 _Ed will be counting on you_

Suddenly there was a knock on the large double doors to the stable; everyone shot up from the ground, quickly picked up their weapons and pointed it towards the doors while taking cover behind some boxes lying around. Levi approached the door, a handcannon in his hand, as he slowly opened the left door as Mikasa held a gun towards the widen gap.

"Not the welcome I was expecting." Hange said as she waved at Mikasa through the crack between the doors. Behind her were Hannes, Hitch and Marlowe.

Levi opened the door as everyone in the barn lowered their weapons as the others outside entered the stable. "What's the news?"

Hange smiled at Levi and then looked at everyone else "Ladies and gentlemen, we got him; the royal government has effectively been placed under Darius command for now and the crimes associated with Levi squad have been cleared, you are no longer criminals."

The barn erupted into a loud cheer as everyone celebrated their victory; Sasha embraced Hitch while Connie and Jean celebrate with Marlowe. "Mikasa, Armin, come here." Hannes said with his arms open, he gave them a wide hug and held them tight. Alphonse smiled as he caught sight of that.

In the moment he felt happy yet still a linger feeling of grief hung over him as he knew he couldn't celebrate the moment with his brother _Ed, please, just hang on_ he then felt someone hug and squeeze him from the side, trapping his left arm, he looked down to see Mina.

"We did Al." Mina said smiling at him.

"Yeah, we did." He replied.

"Captain Levi." Hannes called out "Marlowe and Hitch may have a lead on where to find Eren and the others." Marlowe pulled out a book and handed it to Levi, pointing him to a specific page.

"The Reiss family chapel is where they're hiding them?" Levi asked.

"It's probably our best lead." Hannes said "I've sent runners to Ian and his men; hopefully they'd be heading there right now."

"Good to hear." Levi turned back to his squad "Squad, we're moving out now."

* * *

Annie opened her eyes and a blinding white light struck her eyes; it was light staring straight at the sun. She immediately closed her eyes once more before slowly opening them, trying to get use to the light. As her eyes adjusted she was astounded to find herself inside a cave like structure; pillars of shining diamond rose from a floor polished to a mirror shine which held up the ceiling.

She found herself sat up against one of the pillars and next to her was Ed, sitting next to her and tied up, looking completely miserable. She tried to say something only to quickly realize that a metal rod had been tied into her mouth. She looked straight ahead to see what looked like an elevated platform and on the edge was Eren, chained to the spot like a sacrificial lamb.

 _Clever, very clever_ she thought.

Below that platform were two people talking to each other; she immediately recognized one of them as Historia, dressed in a white gown, while the other was a short man she'd never seen before.

"How ya doing, Ed, still got that shitty expression to match your attitude?" Said a voice around the pillar, a tall figure appeared before them; Annie's eyes widen as she felt an intense rush of anxiety run through her. "Still pissed off about that whole thing still?"

 _No…no… not you!_

"Looks like ya awake now, Annie?" said the tall man looking down at her "Been awhile since we seen each other, what kind a daughter doesn't visit her father?" he said in a mocking tone.

"Daughter, you're related to her?" Ed questioned.

"Nah, she just tried to pull a fast one on me when I caught her once." Kenny replied "Never thought you'd see me again huh? Next time get a better hobby than stalking old men at night." He laughed. He turned to the short man "Hey Rod, what ya planning on doing with the girl brat?"

"I haven't decided anything yet." Rod replied "Possibly have her titan transferred to someone loyal, perhaps your subordinate, Traute was it?"

"You're an idiot if you plan on handing a titan power to someone working with Kenny." Ed commented. "Course I really not surprised at this point."

"You think I'm foolish because you are ignorant of what is to come." Rod replied.

Suddenly the long chains that held Eren began to rattle as Eren became conscious.

"Eren!" Historia yelled "Just hold on a little longer; my father explained everything to me, he's not an enemy of humanity, we misunderstood him."

"Bullshit!" Ed yelled "Whatever he told you Historia its lies, that guy's looking out for one person and it's himself."

"No Ed you're wrong, he is working for humanity." Historia argued. Rod placed his hand on Historia's shoulder.

"Historia, I'll explain the rest and don't let this immature child provoke you any further." He said looking at Ed. Ed growled at Rod as they approached Eren, climbing the curving stairs which led to the platform. "What's wrong? This is your first time here. But it wouldn't be odd if you remembered it." Rod's words bounced off the gleaming walls of the large cave.

 _Memories, he's talking about the memories of the other shifter_ Annie deduced _but if Eren wasn't didn't take the coordinate then who did?_

Rod and Historia were now standing over Eren; they stretched their hands out and placed it on Eren's back. Eren began to shake, his chains rattling, as he let out a muffled scream through the metal rod in his mouth.

"What the hell are they doing?" Ed muttered.

 _They're doing something up there…_

They stepped back "Do you remember your father's sin?" Rod asked.

 _They've awaken the memories of the other shifters just by touching him, that would mean they're the Fritz family, the royal family._

"Historia, what is it?" Rod asked as Historia clutched her head.

"How have I forgotten all this time…" Historia said "I wasn't alone, I had her; she taught me how to read and write, she was so kind to me, how could I have forgotten her?"

"Are you talking about Frieda?"

"Frieda?"

"A young girl with long black hair, Frieda Reiss, she was your half sister." Rod explained. "She must have worried about you, went to check you from time to time and erased your memories as a way of protecting you."

"Erase my- you're talking about the coordinate." Historia said "But I thought only Eren's titan… Frieda was a titan shifter?" Rod nodded his head "Eren has Frieda's titan…why?"

Rod held Historia "Because… she, her siblings, my children and my wife were all killed in this place, five years ago by Grisha Yeager." He then began to explain it; the story of his family's death, how Grisha had his own titan power and defeated Frieda in combat before mercilessly killing everyone else.

Ed looked horrified by the story while Annie was caught up on one detail _Eren possesses both the Coordinate… and the Attack titan._

"How could he do such a terrible thing?" Historia wondered aloud.

"Oi, Oi, Oi have you forgotten about the whole revolution" Kenny called out "They'll be knocking down the doors to ya church soon, get on what ya need to do"

"I know, I will, but weren't you and the anti-personnel squad members asked to leave?"

"I'm sorry for sticking around ya majesty." Kenny replied in a mocking tone "I was only lookin' to take shit."

"It's alright, Kenny" Rod replied "I trust you."

 _Why does that sound so untrue?_

* * *

There was a scattered hail of gun fire as members of the anti-personnel squad tried to hold off the garrison soldiers descending onto the chapel. As the sound of bullets hitting the stone walls of the chapel, Traute looked around; there were maybe ten people in the chapel itself shooting at the incoming attackers through the windows, members of Kenny's squad, some were covered in bandages after their previous battles with the scouts. The place had been made into a mini fort; Traute knew however that if they wanted to the garrison soldiers laying siege to them could easily take it; they would just have to bleed themselves to do it. If things stayed like this then they could hold on until Kenny achieved his goal.

Of course, there was one worry on her mind "Any sign of Levi squad yet?"

"No, not of yet." Her subordinate answered "The circles are ready if he arrives though."

"Good, get ready for the moment they arrive, we may only have a small window of time to do this." many of the men and women of the anti-personnel squad were intelligent; the top of their class in their respective cadet corps and handpicked from the military police, she trusted them to carry out the impossible.

"They're here!" yelled another subordinate peering through one of the windows; Traute ran up to a nearby window and saw an unnatural rising wall of dirt in the nearby distance which shielded the garrison troops they've been shooting at.

"Anna, Bertha, Ernest and Paul, get out there!" Traute ordered. The doors to the chapel were thrown open and the four anti-personnel members ran out under the hail of fire coming from the chapel and towards it.

She watched as they ran towards the circle drawn outside the entrance of the church and placed their hands onto it.

 _This is desperate stuff but if it can throw them off for just a little while…_

There was a small flash of lightening surround them, a similar to the Elrics, the ground around them began to rumble and stone and dirt began to elevate. But then something happened. The lightening and around them became erratic and ground shook as the rising dirt around them looked as though it began to consume them; their limbs and bodies breaking down before her eyes.

"What the hell?" she gasped. There was a final flash of light and all that was left was one member left mutilated and the rest were…consumed into the dirt. Traute dragged the survivor inside and slammed the doors.

 _This doesn't make any sense; they followed Ed's instructions-_ It immediately hit her "That brat! He tricked us!"

"They're coming towards us!" yelled one of the anti-personnel members.

"Everyone, get back underground now!" she ordered. They flung open the hatch to the underground.

* * *

Ed began trying to find a rationale as to why Grisha would murder an entire family; he thought back to his dad, Hohenheim had left his family and spent years and used thousands of souls in his quest to fight the homunculus but, as far as Ed knew, he never killed felt it necessary to kill an entire family of people.

 _Grisha wanted to take the coordinate and he gave it to Eren_ Ed thought _But if he already had a titan power then why steal theirs, did he need the coordinate's power but all we've been able to use it for was fighting and heavy lifting._

"Nothing clever to say?" Rod asked as he pasted by Ed and Annie, holding a black bag in one hand. "Historia, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." He knelt down and searched through a black bag. He pulled out a black case and picked out a syringe and a small labelled glass container.

"Father?" Historia jogged towards him "What's this?" Rod stood up and placed a hand on Historia's shoulder.

"Historia, I know this sounds ridiculous but Frieda hasn't died yet."

"What?" Historia asked

"Her memories live on and they can live on through you, do you want to see her again?" Rod asked.

The look of happiness on Historia's face at the idea that she could once again see her sister was a look that Ed was all too familiar with.

' _This says how to do it! We can bring mom back from the dead!'_

Of course like most good things, it comes with a catch.

"No…" Ed muttered "Something's wrong…" _why would Grisha find it necessary to kill Historia's siblings what was it about them that made it so crucial to stop them from having the coordinate and go that far?_ All the while a sinking feeling set inside Ed about the idea that the only way to transfer the power was to consume a shifter.

Suddenly the chains that held Eren began to rattle violently as a muffled scream caught everyone's attention; it was like he was trying desperately to break free.

 _Where the hell are you guys?_ Ed thought, hoping that the team will get here in time to stop this.

* * *

Levi squad quickly approached the chapel door; at the very front were a large transmutation circle and a few dismembered bodies.

"What happened here?" Jean gasped as they came up to it.

"They tried to transmute the earth; does that mean Ed taught them?" Hange asked as they quickly examined the corpses.

Alphonse stared at the scene completely speechless as a sinister thought came to mind. He had seen this kind of sight once before… that time they were just little kids.

"It's like parts of their cleanly sliced off." Levi said, adding his own observation.

"Their alchemy rebounded." Armin said "The alchemic forces were imbalanced and this must be the result."

"This is what happens when you mess up? No way I'm learning alchemy any time soon then." Connie commented.

"But if Ed taught them how to perform alchemy then why did-" Hange was quickly interrupted by Alphonse.

"We should head inside now and get the others quickly." Alphonse said as he quickly walked into the chapel. He didn't want to hear it; he didn't want that idea out in the open and have to confront it… at least not now while Ed's life may still hang in the balance.

As everyone walked in both Alphonse and Armin caught each other glances as the other's prepared themselves; Armin looked as though he knew why Alphonse was in such as rush that he didn't want to spend a second speculating on what happened. The inside of the chapel was messy; sasses of gunpowder and used muskets were left on the floor with a trail of blood leading to a hatch.

Several members of the garrison soon entered into the chapel "We've gotten rid of those bodies on the front door." said one.

"Good, we'll check that out later." Levi replied.

"A secret door, this must be where they're hiding." Hange said as she knelt down to look

"We don't know what were getting into." Levi said "It could be up close quarters or some huge ass cave, so be prepared for anything." Levi looked back at his squad; attaching their blades to their handles and loading their muskets. Sasha pulled out an arrow from quiver while Armin picked out a match from his small match box.

Alphonse attached the handle of his ODM gear to one of the blades in his scarab and pulled it out. For a second he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror surface of the blade.

 _Am I the same person I was back home? How much of me have changed since I got here?_

He didn't know the answer.

But what he did know was simple; if he was going back home then Ed was coming home with him.

* * *

It's been a while and happy New Year! Thank you all for the follows, favorites and reviews.

It took a while to get back into it, busy with university and all, hopefully I'll find time to write the next chapter but please be prepared for another long wait.

Sorry that nothing too much happened in this chapter, the next one will be more action oriented.

Only two more chapter of the Uprising arc left.


	39. Chapter 39: Death of a Monarch

**Chapter 39: Death of a Monarch**

"Three…two…one…" Levi kicks the wooden door open as a bright light from inside the wide cavern hits their eyes. A group of four garrison troops run forwards with their muskets onto the landing as they point their weapons in the direction of the open space.

"Woah…" said one of the soldiers as he lowered his weapon slightly.

"What the hell is this place?" said another as they walked down the spiral stairs. Hange and Levi slowly stepped in; Hange looked to be in awe at the massive cave before them as Levi only scanned the area looking for danger.

"It's an open space." Levi said looking at his squad who were waiting in the hallway of the underground entrance. "Bring the barrels forward." Jean and Connie quickly moved back and rolled three wooden barrels towards the door.

Alphonse peered from the door and marveled at the massive cavern, its bright diamond like walls and stunning pillars; it was something out of a fantasy, an entire cave formed from an element or material he had no knowledge of. "The walls…" he muttered "They're glowing." The cave seemed to just go on with no clear end.

 _Where's Ed in all this…_

The Four garrison troops approached the crystal pillars; one of them circled the nearest one and looked upwards.

"They're on top-" he yelled as a burst shot was fired at him, his head blown off as his body slumped onto the pillar, blood staining the diamond surfaces.

"Shit, everyone get back!" Levi ordered but it was too late as the Anti-personnel squad quickly eradicated them as they rained shots down from above. Hange and Levi quickly ran back into the hall way "Fuck!" Levi yelled, he pulled out his blade and quickly stabbed a hole in the barrels. "Do it now!" Connie and Jean both quickly rolled the three wooden barrels down a curving staircase. The barrels rolling down the white stairs and onto the mirror like floor as a trail of smoke violently seeps out of a large crack. The team quickly rush out onto the landing, Levi leading the charge, as he quickly run down the stairs.

Armin urgently focused down at the barrels on the ground as he strikes his match against the box. A burst of fire shot through the air towards the barrels of gas. The wooden barrels exploded as the fire stuck them; thick clouds of dark gray smoke were left in the wake of its destruction, filling the cavern like a flood of water filling a house.

Both Mikasa and Levi flew forward and vanished into the wall of smoke.

"Armin and Sasha keep the enemy off focus and provide support!" Petra ordered "Everyone else, get ready to move!"

"I count about twenty of them!" Levi yelled as he glided from and around the pillars "They're grouped near the ceiling; finish them off here and now!"

"All troops scatter and eliminate the enemy!" Traute ordered "We've come this far, do not let everything we're worked towards end here!"

Hange and the Levi squad charged forward into the fray; as Alphonse fired his cable into the nearest pillar and reeled himself forward he couldn't help but feel himself succumbing to the dread and doubt that continuously devoured him. He glided under the trails of flares and black smoke provided by Sasha and Armin and watched.

Levi and Mikasa ruthlessly carved through the Anti-personnel troops; almost dancing through the air they evaded the shots with ease as they sliced anyone who was unlucky enough to be spotted by them. A small trail of blood and corpse were left in their wake as they continue their rampage.

He fired his cables upwards and pulled himself up against a pillar, the thick dark smoke still masking his location, he quickly spotted Jean ambushing an enemy soldier from behind and beheading them with his blade.

"Connie, lookout!" Petra yelled Alphonse quickly turned his head towards Connie to see two Anti-personnel troops descend upon him. But a large ball of fire suddenly consumed and turned them into charred flesh as they fell to the floor. Sasha fired an arrow into the heart of another, their body dangling from the cable latched onto the ceiling.

"Connie, stay hidden in the smoke!" Armin yelled, a freshly lit match burning away in his hand.

 _Have you gotten use to it, Armin?_ He thought. _Has it all become so easy for you all?_

Petra flew forward and stabbed his blade into the chest of a nearby enemy before quickly moving on. It was only for a second but he could see the look on Petra's face. It was disgust.

 _No…_ Alphonse wondered _it never did but you all resolved yourselves to do it._

 _Can I really do this…_ he quickly moved forward under the smoke. _"You got your hands plenty dirty."_ Levi's words seemed to ring round his head _._

Alphonse quickly spotted Hange moving forward, blood running down her face as she went in pursuit of a lone MP. He quickly followed, passing through thick walls of smoke which masked his approach. He watched as the MP fired her guns at Hange and missed widely, hitting a pillar.

"You missed!" Hange taunted. Neither Hange nor the woman she was fighting was aware of his presence as Alphonse circled round.

The woman MP landed onto the side of a pillar to face Hange directly. _She's out of ammo, what she's…_ the MP pointed her gun at Hange _the hooks…_

Alphonse needed to think fast.

 _Hange going to die if I don't do something!_ He fired his cable onto the pillar which held the woman MP.

Alphonse swung around the pillar.

 _I could just kick her off but she might turn the gun on me… I could just cut her cable wire but still get away and hit us again, I could just…_ He wondered what kind of material this cave was made out of… he didn't know. _Another plan out the window…_

He was behind her now, her gun pointed directly at Hange as Hange looked to brace for the shot.

He no longer had time to think fast. He only had enough time to act and act now.

" _You must accept that there's no coming back from this."_

He pulled his arm back and lurch it forward towards the back of the MP, the blade pierced through the gas canister on her back and through her chest. Alphonse detached the blade from his handle, leaving it buried into the back of the MP.

"Alphonse!" Hange yelled.

Everything seemed to slow down for a second; he detached his cable and swung around to face the MP, he caught her eyes moving in his direction as her arm slumped down and she free fell towards the ground. His senses began to dull as he watched her fall.

Thud!

Alphonse and Hange quickly fired their cables onto a nearby pillar, Alphonse landing roughly as his back hit the pillar. Everything was muffled for a moment; his vision was a bit hazy and his hearing was dulled as he felt the blood rushing through his head, he felt someone grab onto his shirt and shake him a bit, he turned to see Hange trying to say something to him. But in that moment all he could hear was the sound of his own heavy breathing as he stared down at the body on the floor.

"Traute!" yelled one of the MPs; it was the first thing he heard as he began to regain his senses. A zealous comrade of hers flew towards Alphonse and Hange with their gun pointed towards them. Alphonse felt his shirt being pulled as Hange tried to move him out of the firing line when flew right past them and shoved their blade into the MP's stomach, quickly detaching their blade as they hung from a nearby column.

It was Mina "Hurry!" she yelled "Historia and Ed must be close!" she pointed further down the cave as blood ran down her face.

Alphonse quickly snapped back to reality "Right!" he quickly slammed his handle into another slot of his scarab.

"Traute's dead!" yelled an MP "fall back! Retreat!" what was left of their already slim numbers was now in complete disarray as they rushed to escape the attack.

"After them now!" Levi ordered "Keep your eyes open for Kenny!" the team pursued what was left of the Anti-personnel squad.

 _Ed… please be okay._

* * *

The distance echoes of gunshots and yells slowly crept in volume as time continued. Ed had his head turned towards the seemingly endless tunnel that led up to this sacrificial area.

 _C'mon… C'mon…_ he thought, hoping that the others would show up just in time to confront Rod and Kenny before anything else could happen. He looked back at Rod and Historia.

"Our enemies are closing in." Rod commented as he looked back "We must hurry, Historia."

"R…right" she stuttered, a look of uncertainty on her face. Eren continued to struggle, his chains rattling as his muffled screams blocked out the echoes of distant fighting. "What is it, Eren?" Historia asked "Why are you glaring at me?"

"He has become aware of his fate." Rod commented "He realised where his sinful life has led him." He looked up at Eren "The powers that were stolen from us will be returned to its rightful place, that is you, Historia." Historia looked at Rod confused "The power that resides in Eren had created this cave a hundred years ago, it created the walls we live in but has always graced us with a life of peace for what remained for humanity. It reached into our hearts and altered humanity's memories."

"What?" Ed gasped. Ed knew about the coordinate and its power, unbelievable power but controlling the memories of people…that really was an almost God like ability.

"A handful of bloodlines were unaffected." Rod continued, ignoring Ed. "But their descendants no longer remember the time before the walls, no one knows the history of humanity or the titans…. Except for Frieda Reiss." Rod then explained the history of his daughter and the power of the coordinate "It is a duty that the Reiss family is charged with for a hundred years, the memories of humanity and the powers of the coordinate, she was free to revel the mysteries of the world to us… But those who inherited the coordinate all chose not to share the secrets of the world as they inherited the philosophy of the first king, the creator of our world who sought after a world of peace."

 _A world of peace? hiding behind walls, afraid of being eaten, how can that be peace?_

If Frieda still possessed the power of the coordinate, if she was still alive today, then all this conflict we find ourselves in, against titans and now humans, would never have occurred. Dare I say the titans themselves could have been eradicated had the power not been stolen."

Ed tried to piece everything together; why Grisha tried to kill an entire family, the powers of the coordinate and why over a hundred years no one had broke from the philosophy of peace, Eren was a hothead and stubborn guy who sought freedom beyond the walls yet if he possessed the coordinate why hasn't he succumb to this idea of peace and why hadn't he gained the memories of the world?

"The true powers of this world can only be used by those descended from our line." Rod stated "And so long as Eren is the vessel of the coordinate… we will never be free from this hell."

"Historia… only you can end this hell." Rod finished.

There it was the last piece of information.

"Bullshit!" Ed yelled "You listening to me, Bastard?" Historia turned towards Ed "Historia if you eat Eren then nothing changes, if what Rod is saying is true then the first King's philosophy will take over then you'll end up like Rod's uncle and your sister. You can't change the world if you inherit the coordinate because it won't let you!" Ed focused his attention towards Rod "You and your family had this power for years, how many people were killed when the walls were attacked and how many were killed before? If you never did anything then what makes now any different? Your family allowed so many people to be slaughtered and I'm willing to bet you'd be perfectly fine with it, what the hell kind of philosophy is that?"

Rod looked ready to respond when Kenny reeled himself down to the ground, agitation written all over his face "Wait… so you're telling me there's no point in turning myself into a titan and eating Eren?" Kenny grabbed Rod by his collar and lifted the short man into the air as jammed the barrel of his gun into Rod's left eye. "All the plans, everything I worked for and believed are bullshit?"

"Father!" Historia yelled

"I waited for this day for a long time, waited for ya to do the ritual ceremony and all… ya knew my intentions and ya played me like a damn fiddle." Kenny accused him as he continued to point the gun in Rod's eye.

"I'm grateful…" Rod replied "I always thought that Uri picking you off the streets was just another one of his mad whim-" Kenny pressed the barrel of the gun further into Rod's face.

"If you insult Uri one more time" Kenny threaten "Ya gonna find half ya face all over the floor."

Historia pulled the gun from Rod's face and towards the ground "Let go of my father." She growled.

"Historia, ya poor thing" Kenny replied as he broke free from Historia's grip. "Ya old man wants to turn ya into a monster and make ya eat Eren." He said pointed towards Eren with his gun. "He's only using ya, listen to Ed there he seems to know what he's talking about." He said as he turned Rod around to face her.

"Historia… I can't believe I'm saying this but please listen to Kenny." Ed pleaded.

"That's the spirit!" Kenny responded as he pulled out a knife "Ya dad didn't care about you for all ya life, he left ya with a mother who hated ya guts. Everyone thought of ya as a disgrace and everyone didn't want ya to exist, ya just a stain on them." He stated remorselessly "Ya think he's playing dad now because he loves ya, NAH! This fat worm doesn't want to be a titan himself and just needs ya blood!" Kenny stuck his knife into Rod's mouth and wiggled it around. "Why ya think he got his younger brother and his own daughter to do it for him?" Rod began to cough up blood as Kenny continued to spin the knife around "He even tried to hide the fact the power was stolen and only spoke up about it when Eren arrived, you know how many people died in those five years he kept quiet and you think he gives a shit about humanity?"

"Not humanity!"

"Not his family!"

"Not you!"

"Only himself!" Kenny stated as his began more and more violent in his torture "So what do ya think of ya dad now!" Ed watched horrified at the sight as Rod continued to cough up blood onto his face.

Rod grabbed the blade of the knife with his hand and forced it out from his mouth. "He's wrong, Historia." Rod gasped "There's a reason why I can't become a titan… you can't trust anyone else…"

"Historia, you know that's not true, he's lying to you." Ed countered.

"You're the only one, Historia…" Rod continued "Inherit the founder…become God and save us all…" suddenly the sound of zipping cables caught their attention, for a brief second Ed allowed himself to hope it was his friends, an anti-personnel squad member landed in front of Rod and Kenny. The soldier was covered in bandages and breathing heavily as they collapsed onto their knees.

"Captain Ackerman, the enemy…." He gasped out.

"Where's Traute? Why the hell are you telling me?" Kenny questioned.

"Traute… the enemy killed her, it was that Elric boy." The squad member replied.

Ed quickly took a sharp intake of breath as his neck snapped towards Kenny's subordinate. _Alphonse?_ He turned his head towards the floor as anxiety began to flood his mind and body. _Why? Was it because of me…?_

Kenny dropped Rod onto the floor; there was a look of resignation on his face as his subordinate's message sunk in. "Of all the fucking people…" he muttered, Kenny looked back at the MPs "Go back and hold 'em off." The MP looked at Kenny completely dumbfounded. "Go!" reluctantly the lone MP fired his cable and back into the fray.

A stream of blood flowed down from Rod's mouth as Historia quickly crouched beside him. Rod turned towards Ed "The things we do for our family…" he said, taking a dig at Ed. Ed snapped his head upwards towards Rod, anger began to overtake him and he desperately tried to bring his hands together to transmute something and break free. But all in vain. Rod turned to Historia "Historia, what Ed said about the philosophy of the first king was true, he wished for a world of peace and wished for humanity to be confined to these walls for what reason I do not know and like my father, my brother and Frieda you too may be influenced by him but in the end you would have become God and whatever you decide, I will follow you and pray like I have done with Uri and Frieda."

"Gim'me a break from your shit." Kenny commented as he walked off towards the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Rod questioned as everyone watched him.

"Historia, if you wanna turn into a titan then be my guest." Kenny stated as he approached Eren, he was now standing behind him as he pulled out a knife and undid the muffle from Eren's mouth.

Annie, who had been silent this whole time, began to muffle something in a panic as she tried to desperately move.

"Both of ya can become titans and fight it out" Kenny stated "If Historia wins then you can have ya peace and nothing changes." He spun his knife in his hand "If Eren wins then yah can't use the power so nothing still changes."

"Kenny, leave him alone!" Ed yelled.

"Whatcha gonna do?" Kenny questioned, he looked down towards Eren. "Ya probably can't bite your tongue so I'll help ya along." He said as he cut a clean line across Eren's forehead, blood quickly running down his face. Kenny pointed his gun towards the ceiling, a hook blasted upwards as Kenny pulled himself from harm's way.

Ed quickly realised why Annie began to panic; they were going to be in the middle of a titan battle with no way of escape.

"Eren, don't!" Ed pleaded "Just for a little longer, the others will be here to get us!"

"Historia, you must do this now." Rod urged her as he handed her the syringe.

"Historia, please don't!" Ed pleaded "You know how this ends; you don't have to listen to him."

"I have to do this Ed…" Historia replied "For humanity I have to try." She stuck the needle into the forearm, blood trickling from the small open cut.

"Are you sure you're doing this for humanity?" Ed asked, causing her to pause.

"Historia…" this time it was Eren. "Please… eat me…"

"Eren!" Ed yelled.

Eren lifted his up his head, tears and blood ran down his face as he looked down upon Historia from his high chains. "Never needed to happen… none of this" Eren sobbed "If my father hadn't of killed Frieda then she could have fixed this… so many people died because of him… because of me… Armin's grandfather, Thomas, Mylius, Nac, Marco… Petra's former squad mates… the soldiers who tried to rescue me… and the others I'll never know… I can't atone for something like that…"

Ed was speechless as he listen to Eren express his guilt _Eren…_

"All those days spent training… all those dreams about going past the wall, it never needed to happen… I never needed to happen…"

"Eren…no…" Ed muttered weakly.

"Please… just end this for me…" Eren finished as his voice cracked from his tears, he seemed content to give up and die… A feeling Ed knew all too well.

"Eren… that day you called me normal… it really made me happy…" Historia replied. Historia looked down at the needle into her arm and gently placed her thumb onto the base of the plunger.

"Historia, please!" Ed screamed "Just look at me for a second!" Historia lifted her head and turned it towards Edward "Listen… I know why you want to do this but I am telling you right now it is not worth it."

"Do you Ed?" Historia questioned "Do you really know what I'm thinking? How I'm feeling right now?"

"Maybe not entirely… but I know that look." Ed replied "It's the same one Al and I had when we performed the biggest mistake of our lives… and it was all because we wanted to see our mother smile again." Historia moved her thumb from the plunger of the needle "It was our lives, we should have liv-" suddenly Ed found himself being gagged as a piece of cloth was quickly and roughly wrapped around his mouth.

"I've had enough of your back talk" Rod.

* * *

Throughout all the madness and emotion, Annie sat quietly and watched as Rod Reiss tried to coax Historia into eating Eren and Ed begging both her and Eren to wait for reinforcement.

 _Right there…_ Annie thought _the coordinate is right there… a member of the royal family was right there under our nose._ Amidst the anxiety of a potential titan fight and the uncertainty of her life hanging in the balance she couldn't help but feel frustrated that their objective and then some was only a dorm and a bunk bed away respectively.

She tried to bite down on the metal muffler in her mouth, hoping her teeth break and she'd cut her gums but to no avail. Bashing her head against the glowing crystal pillar would be an idiotic gamble between drawing blood and knocking herself unconscious.

She was an observer whether she liked it or not. And she hated it.

She weighted up her options, who would she prefer wins this? If Rod succeeded than she'd be eaten and have her titan transferred to one of his lackeys. But if Levi and the scouts got here in time… what would happen to her? Tortured and locked in a cell again? Would they kill her? No, she could still convince them she's useful. And from there…

 _Krista… Historia… please don't…_

Historia continued to stare down at the syringe in her arm.

 _What are you thinking?_

"Live my life with pride" Historia said softly.

"What was that, Historia?" Rod asked as he walked back to her.

"No…" she replied pulling the needle from her arm.

"No?"

"I won't do it." She lifted her head up to face Rod; he was now standing in front of her.

"Historia, don't let his words sway you." Rod said as he wrapped his hands around Historia's wrists and on the syringe and tried to redirect the needle back into her arm. "Listen to your father who will pray to you."

There was a muffled response from Ed as he desperately tried to say something through the piece of cloth.

Historia stood firm as her arms locked in place against her father as he tried to move the needle back into her arm. "Historia… do as your father says…" he grumbled this time as he became increasingly agitated by his daughter's refusal. The distance gunfire suddenly grew louder as Rod's patience rapidly evaporated "Do as I say!" he commanded as he tried to forcefully move the needle into her arm.

Historia then let go of the syringe and had shockingly threw Rod to the ground with the strength of which no one expected from someone her size. Rod crashed to the ground with a loud thud! The syringe in his tight grasp of his hand. "Cut the bullshit!" Historia declared looking down at him "You're only saying this to manipulate me and save yourself!" Historia turned her back on her father and picked up the black bag "I'm not going to let you kill me!" she yelled as she ran up the stairs towards Eren

Through the shock and confusion, Annie couldn't help but be impressed by Historia; coming face to face with her father and standing up to him, following her own path.

 _I should have done that a long time ago…_

Ed let out some muffled sounds but from the look of relief in his eyes and the curved smile on his mouth, Annie guessed he was cheering Historia on.

"Now this is gettin' interesting!" Kenny remarked as he watched from the ceiling.

Suddenly the echoed gunshots rang into the open space followed by the rapid zipping of cables and hooks crashing into the walls. Annie turns her head to the side, just in time to see an MP crash into the ground as a small figure landed elegantly onto the floor.

 _Levi…._ A mix of anger and anxiety filled Annie as she stared at him.

Levi looked towards Ed and Annie and then to Eren and Historia. "Looks like we made it."

"Lookie here, Levi!" Kenny yelled catching his attention "Nice to see ya again, runt!"

"Old shit bag!" Levi yelled back.

Kenny aimed his gun towards Levi when he was quickly ambushed by Mikasa with her blades ready to impale him. Kenny quickly unlatched his hooks from the ceiling, avoiding her attack as he free fell towards the ground. He fired his hooks back onto the ceiling and swung round as he fired his gun at Mikasa who narrowly dodges the shot. Levi fires his cables upwards into the ceiling and pulls himself upwards to join the battle.

Annie watched, mesmerized by the display of skill, when another person landed next to Ed. She turned her head to see Alphonse looking down at them, a blank expression on his face. He stared at Ed for a second before he placed his hand over his mouth and began sobbing. "Ed… you're alive." Ed quickly pushed his hands towards Alphonse. Alphonse quickly swiped away the tears from his face as he dropped his hands and placed his hands together, an echo followed as he placed a hand on the metal rod that connected the shackles separating Ed's hands. The rod shatters and Ed quickly unties the bounds around his feet and his mouth.

"Al! Kenny!" Ed yelled as he pointed towards Kenny still locked in a battle between Levi and Mikasa. Alphonse quickly runs off into the fray.

Rod who was writhing in agony on the floor slowly tried to get up and escape when more scouts arrived at the scene. "Where do you think you're going, Rod?" Hange said as she landed only a meter away from him, Rod crawls away. Connie, Jean, Sasha, and Petra and… Mina.

Mina quickly spotted Annie up against the pillar, she ran up towards her and embraced her "You're okay… Thank God..." Mina muttered. Annie sighed softly through her nose as she rested her chin on Mina's shoulder. Their moment was interrupted when Kenny crashed into the ground.

"Ahhh…fucking hell…" Kenny groaned as he stood back up on his feet "Yep it's broken…" he muttered as he leaned onto his left foot. Levi, Mikasa and Alphonse landed around him with Ed surrounding him on all sides. Mikasa charges forward and tries to slash at him, Kenny leans back and dodges the attack and counters with an elbows Mikasa in the back as she moves past him. Kenny let out a painful groan as he places weight onto his broken foot.

Ed quickly capitalizes as he stamps on Kenny's foot and uppercuts him. Kenny quickly pulls out his knife from his pocket and tries to swipe at Ed when Levi blocks the attack and punches him in the gut. Mikasa jumps forward from behind him and slams him to the ground with her foot. Ed, Mikasa and Levi pin Kenny down as he tries to break free.

"Do it now!" Levi yells at Alphonse. Alphonse glances at his blade before quickly placing it back into the scarab "What are you-" Alphonse kneels down and lands a heavy blow to Kenny's skull which rebounds off the floor, knocking him out cold. Levi looks at Alphonse both confused and frustrated at what he'd done.

"Not when I have a chose, Captain." Alphonse declared.

"Fine" Levi conceded. "Mikasa, tie him up and put him to the side." Levi turns his attention towards Rod who is now surrounded.

Annie had been so focused on the fight between Kenny and the others she never noticed the standoff between Rod and the scouts.

Her eyes widen and a burst of shock shot up her spine as she saw Rod holding the syringe into his arm.

 _Oh shit! Oh fuck! We have to get out of here!_

"Stay back!" Rod screamed.

"Guys get back!" Historia yelled as she and Eren came down the steps.

"What is that?" Jean asked

"Everyone get back!" Ed yelled trying to wave them back "That's stuff in the syringe turns people into titans." He said. Almost instantly everyone backed off a few steps and pointed their blades at him.

"Rod put the syringe down." Levi asked as he raised his hand towards him.

"You…all of you, you've ruined everything!" Rod screamed

"Calm down, Rod" Hange advised as she began to step forward "Don't do anything rash."

Annie watched, observing everyone's movements, she spotted both Edward and Alphonse standing behind everyone; they were softly pressing their hands together before touching the ground. It looked as if they were trying to figure something out. Everyone else looked nervous, it was like a bomb was about to go off.

 _Rod has nothing to lose_ Annie thought _his family and now his power has been lost, he's going to do it._

Annie let out some muffled sounds as she tried to get Mina's attention. Mina turned around and quickly undid the muffler; Annie took in a big gasp of air. "Mina…" Annie muttered "cut me…"

"Rod put down the syringe and we can guarantee your safety" Levi said.

"You liar" Rod accused seething.

"He's going to do it" Annie muttered.

"Are you crazy?" Mina whispered.

"You have to trust me." Annie replied.

"Father…" Rod muttered, his voice cracking as his eyes welled up with tears.

"Mina, you have to do it now." Annie whispered.

"Uri…" he continued "Frieda… wait for me, I'm coming…"

"Don't!" Levi yelled. But in one quick press he had injected himself with the serum.

"Mina now!" Annie yelled this time.

Rod let out a pained cry as he collapsed onto the ground and not a second later his eyes and skin began to glow like the light of a firefly.

"Everyone move!" Levi yelled as he and Hange turned back.

Annie watched Mina turn towards her, panic on her face, lifting her blade up before burying it in Annie's leg "I'm so sorry."

Annie cried out in pain but the massive wound was more than enough.

The already brightly lit cavern was now engulfed in a blinding explosion of light. Annie felt the mass of muscle quickly form around her as she watched the colossal skeleton of Rod's titan formed. She had formed only the upper half of her body before she crystallized her right hand.

 _The upper part of the spine_ the whole body of Rod's titan curved around as its skull it the floor.

She had one chance.

The Female Titan pulled her arm back and struck a hard punch for the neck of the titan. It was like punching through a brick wall, there was a loud crunch sound as her fist broke through. And suddenly the rest of the gargantuan skeleton began to crumble, its massive ribcage collapsing on Annie and crushing her titan.

 _Fuck…_

* * *

"We're still alive!" Connie screamed as he rejoiced at their improbable survival. Everyone began to quickly dust themselves off as they began to process the sudden events.

"Is everyone alright?" Levi yelled out, he looked up at the ceiling to see a few cracks and missing columns but nothing too concerning.

"How the hell do we keep getting this lucky?" Jean said, utterly perplexed but extremely thankful they were still alive.

Ed was in awe at the sight before him; even after seeing it a few times he still couldn't wrap his head around how unthinking amounts of muscle mass, bones and tissue could just be formed into existence. All around him and everyone else were the remains of an unimaginable skeleton which slowly dissolved into nothing and underneath the shattered ribcage of the monster was the female titan, crushed under its weight.

He felt someone grab onto his shoulder, he turned around to see Alphonse standing behind him.

"Brother…" he muttered, Edward pulled Alphonse in for a tight hug"I thought I lost you."

"I'm not leaving you, Alphonse." Ed reassured him.

"Oh. My. God" Hange shouted as she stared at the large skull of Rod's titan "Where's Moblit when I need him! We need a sketch of this!" she said pointing towards the skull excitedly.

Mina ran up to the Female titan, firing her cables upwards she propelled herself onto the nape of its neck and slashed open a wound before burying her hands inside and pulling Annie out. She carefully brought both her and Annie down. "She's unconscious!" Mina yelled to the others. Everyone quickly huddled around Annie.

Ed watched the faces of his friends; it was clear nobody knew how to feel about Annie, the traitor who just now saved their lives.

Both Levi and Petra walked towards her "Hand her over." Levi ordered with binds in his hands.

"What are you going to do?" Mina questioned.

"She's too dangerous to be left like this." Petra replied "We have to bind her while we still can."

"Captain… Lieutenant, Annie just saved our lives." Mina stated "We'd all be dead if she hadn't acted."

"And I acknowledge that and you should know it was risky as hell to put your trust in a titan shifter who's killed a number of our comrades not so long ago." Levi responded. "Just because she saved us doesn't mean she's an ally to our cause."

"What gonna happen to her?" Mina asked.

"I don't know but unless you want to join her and find out you'll follow my command." Levi ordered.

Mina looked conflicted as she glanced back and forth from her squad to Annie. She placed Annie down to the ground gently as she backed away, avoiding eye contact with Levi. Levi handed Petra the binds as she went up to Annie and wrapped them around her hands and ankles.

Levi turned back to the rest of his squad and Hange "Mikasa, drag the old shit bag with you, and the rest of you lets head back up."

On the surface it looked as though the entire army, garrison, scout and police, had arrived. Ed sat on a wooden crate as a medic looked over his wounds. "The swelling should go down in a few days." The medic said as they handed him a wet cloth "you should clean yourself up, don't want any cuts or bruises to get infected now." Ed wiped his face, the cold water running down his cheeks, and placed the cloth to the side. He looked back at the church entrance, the noticeable patch of blood present in his thoughts.

"Keep moving, scum!" A garrison officer ordered, Ed turned his head to see Kenny pushed forward towards a wagon.

"And here I thought you were just a myth." Another soldier commented standing in the wagon. "You're lucky we don't kill you right here and now." The soldier then manhandled Kenny onto the wagon.

"Ed" Alphonse said, catching Ed's attention. "What did the doctor say?"

"Everything's fine, just needs some time to heal." Ed replied putting on a slight smile. There were few seconds of silence between them.

"Ed-"

"Edward, Alphonse." said a voice in front of them, the two turned to see Erwin and Levi approaching them.

"Commander!" Alphonse said as they both placed their clenched fist on their hearts.

"Please, I should be the one saluting you." Erwin said "Just came to brief Edward on what's happened; during your capture the last few days have been hectic to say the least with the raid on your base and the skirmishes between Kenny's forces and our own, we've lost many of our comrades." Erwin said solemnly "But I'm glad to say that the Royal government has been over thrown and replaced by Darius and our allies in the military. We control humanity's destiny now and it was in no small part to your guidance for launching this coup." Ed tried not to cringe as he heard about the armed forces taking over the country; it reminded him too much of how Amestris was previously run. "Our last task now is mopping up the remnants of the interior military police and those who still hold allegiances to the previous regime."

"Commander, if you're still up for advice can listen to this?" Ed asked.

"What would that be?" Erwin replied.

"Tell Darius and his friends to change the system to a democracy in the future." Ed stated "Speaking from experience and everything that happened here, it's probably best if one person didn't have some much power."

Erwin gave Ed a small sly smile "Perhaps you could tell him yourself, we all have to be there for Historia's coronation after all." Erwin placed his fist over his heart "Anyway good work and I look forward to what progress you'll achieve now that you two are unhindered." Erwin and Levi walked away leaving the two once again.

Alphonse sat on the ground next to Ed "Brother… I've done something-"

"I know, Al." Ed interrupted "You don't have to say anything. I know." Ed tried to sound as reassuring as he could. "I had to do the something like that too." There was loaded pause as the two waited for each other to talk

"Are we… bad people now?" Alphonse asked "Are we still the same people who came into this world?"

Ed let out a soft sigh through his nose "We're not bad people, we're not like Kenny… we're not even like captain Levi. But I don't think we're the same as when we first started."

* * *

Another day had passed since the night of Rod's death and his rescue, Eren sat on the balcony of fancy MP barracks Levi squad were staying in for Historia's coronation. Everyone seemed to be celebrating their victory and proclaimed innocence.

But Eren didn't want to celebrate, he didn't know what to do or what he wanted, after what happened in the cavern he felt lost; he has asked to die not so long ago and almost gotten his wish had it not been for Ed stalling Historia. He leaned back in his chair as he looked up at the moon as he thought back on what happened.

 _I'm weak_ he thought _at some point I convinced myself I was special and that I was someone greater than everyone else, I thought of the titan power as my own but I see now that was a weak line of thinking… I'm not someone who's an exception and I never worked for my powers._ Eren sat up straight, stood up from his chair and walked towards the railing of the balcony as he looked over the capital _I'm not an average nobody who's lucky that the fate of humanity doesn't entirely rest on his shoulders._

 _I'm not special… not in the way Ed and Alphonse are…_

Suddenly the door behind him opened, Eren turned his head back to Edward walk through dressed in his long brown coat over his uniform, a stark contrast to Eren's plain clothes.

"Hey," Ed said "mind if I stay out here for a while?"

"No its fine" Eren replied. "You had business at the government office?"

"Some officials wanted to talk to Al and I about all the tech ideas" Ed replied as he walked up to the railing and leaned forward on it. "Paper work, making arrangements and all that."

"Where's Alphonse?" Eren asked.

"He's with the others celebrating." Ed replied. "Well… that's if you call what's going on down there a party, more like a group of people trying their best to forget all the crap that went down." Ed sighed heavily "Like they're trying to ignore the elephant in the room."

"Elephant?" Eren asked puzzled.

"An animal, it's…" Ed gestured to his nose "never mind." Eren chuckled slightly as Ed placed his hands back on the railing.

The two stood silently for about a minute as they stared off into the city, Eren knew Ed was going to mention it; he was just waiting for when.

"So… we're not going to talk about what happened in that cave?" Ed asked.

"Like what?" Eren replied, he sounded tired.

"Like how you begged Historia to eat you." Ed replied. That was the thing with Ed; he didn't beat around the bush. He and Eren were very similar in that regard.

"Tell me, Ed…" Eren said "In that cavern you told Historia that you knew how she felt." Eren turned his head to Ed "Do you know how I'm feeling right now?"

"Would it surprise you if I said yes?" Ed replied, a sad smile on his face. "I've been there… feeling like a complete failure and accepting an opportunity to die; a close friend of ours was… something happened to her and we couldn't undo it." Ed said, recalling what looked to be a painful memory "We couldn't do a thing and… well a serial killer came after us and when he beat me down I just accepted it then and there. If help didn't arrive at that moment then I'd be done for." Ed inched closer to Eren "Eren, why did you ask to die back in that cave."

"I'm just some nobody." Eren replied. "It's hard knowing that I share the responsibility of humanity, that there are people depending on me, I'd convinced myself that I was special because of my titan power. But I'm not." Eren sighed "A lot people who had to die because of me, a total no one. I don't think I can handle knowing that."

"What's wrong with being some nobody?" Ed asked. "I'm just some nobody."

"No you're not." Eren replied, thinking that the statement from Ed was ridiculous "You're a skilled alchemist who's changing the world."

"And if you take that away then I'm just Edward Elric." Ed replied "I was like you Eren; I believed that because of my alchemy I was somehow greater than everyone else, no one could do what Al and I could, but that was wrong." Ed sighed "It was arrogant of me to think I was anything more than just a simple human who couldn't save a little girl."

"How did you cope with it?" Eren asked.

Ed smiled warmly at Eren "You know the Truth asked I was willing to trade in my ability to perform alchemy to get Alphonse back." Ed placed his arm around Eren's shoulder "Who needs alchemy when I've got the people who had my back since day one? Hell I'd gladly trade it in again if it meant helping you guys." Ed then placed his other hand on Eren's shoulder "Listen Eren, that titan power you have it doesn't define you. You're still Eren Yeager with or without it. And there'll always be people who have your back."

Eren placed his arm around Ed as he returned a smile before lightly placing his fist on Ed's chest "Thanks Ed." In that moment it felt nice to have someone who understood him.

* * *

Another day had passed since their arrival to the capital; Edward and Alphonse sat waiting inside a meeting room of the royal government central office. Both were dressed in their long brown coats over their uniform.

"What do you think Darius wants to talk to us about?" Alphonse asked. "Why'd he make us wait here all day?"

"Well if I had to guess it's gotta be something about the current tech progression" Ed speculated "I heard some whispers by the garrison about how Darius has his own personal machine or something."

Suddenly the doors of the room opened as four people walked through; Darius, Erwin, Levi and Historia. Both Ed and Alphonse stood up to greet them.

"Please sit down." Darius asked as the four took their seats. "Thank you for coming here again, I know you both haven't gotten a lot of rest since the coup." Levi then handed Ed and Alphonse a brown folder. "But it's urgent, Commander Erwin." Darius said as he turned to him.

Both Ed and Alphonse looked through the papers in the folder as Erwin talked "The misinformation tactics you've boys suggested work wonders in dividing the public opinion for the royal government. However this division has not yet healed and we fear that the people will be divided over their perceptions of the old monarchy and Historia's new reign."

"What we're talking about is a continuation of tensions and the uncertainty and questions surrounding Historia's legitimacy." Darius added. "With the sudden change in government, the people haven't had the time to properly accept and adapt to the change in the status quo."

"What does that have to do with us-"

"We told the press that the 'being sent by God' story was true." Levi said, getting straight to the point. "The message is out and has been for a couple hours now."

Both Edward and Alphonse looked at the four shocked "You did what?" Ed questioned.

"If the people weren't already enamored with you then, now they'll take anything you say as gospel." Levi added.

This didn't sit right with them, the idea of it made them both feel a little sick to their stomach; misleading the people like this and to be revered as holy figures when they wanted to be seen as just normal people. It was perverted, hiding away their true reason here for some beautiful lie.

"Why?" Alphonse asked.

"Here's why." This time it was Historia as she spilled forward a single piece of paper. They both had a look at it; it was a statement claiming that they had received a message from God to support Historia's ascendancy to the throne. Underneath were two empty lines, a space from their signatures. Darius then placed two pens in front of them.

"Is this what you want to build this new world on, a lie?" Ed questioned. "Just like the royal government?"

"Darius was the head of the armed forces and now been put in charge of humanity, the scouts who were once regarded with pity and disdain are now heralded as heroes… and me, a girl who had nothing and wanted to become a martyr just became the head of state… and now you two are prophets for a day" Historia replied "The world is fucked up but we must all play our role in fixing it."

"Well said." Levi added. "So Edward, Alphonse what are you going to do?"

The two glanced over to them, the statement laying before them on the table and each other. Alphonse made the first move, picking up the pen. He sighed heavily before placing the nib of the pen onto one of the lines and signing it. Ed remained hesitant for a few seconds more; he picked up the pen and held it in a clenched fist. He looked down at the statement and gritted his teeth in frustration before placing the nib onto the line and writing.

* * *

So it's been a while but I've finished my essays and dissertation so now I'm free to get back into writing for a while. Last chapter I said that this one would be more action oriented. I was wrong, so sorry about that I had overestimated the amount of sections I dedicated to actions scenes in my story plans and underestimated the talking. I do hope you all are still pleased with it, hopefully I'm not too rusty since its been a while.

Anyway, I'm nervous and excited about June 1st COYS

Also GOT ended, was kind of anticlimactic how it all ended despite everything coming out of left field.


	40. Chapter 40: Family Sorrows

**Chapter 40: Family Sorrows**

In the dim candle light, Kenny sat quietly as he waited for the guards to come take him away. Sitting on his bed in a prison cell, in his own personal dungeon, at the heart of the capital, the shackles which loosely connected his hands and feet together rattled as he sat up and walked around his cell, the row of MPs watching him tensed up as they lowered their muskets slightly.

"Calm ya self" Kenny stated to them "I'm just walkin' around, no harm in that." He hobbled around his cell, his injury still needing some to repair. Time he didn't have.

He was impatient for it; he knew his crimes and his verdict to this new government even when they denied him a trail.

But he couldn't blame them, it was how the last government did things; he himself was judge, jury and executioner for Rod and the assembly in their schemes. As he wondered his cell his pondered on the feeling inside him. Nothing, despite it all he felt nothing; his dreams, comrades and almost everything and everyone he held dear were gone now. He lost, but that's just how the world worked really.

Suddenly the door of the dungeon open, the MPs all turned their heads to the side and saluted as two figures walked into view of the cell.

Kenny smirked as he saw them "Well… nothin' like a family reunion." He commented as Levi and Mikasa looked at him through the bars of his cell like a caged animal, he quickly noticed that in Levi's hands was a small box.

"Kenny, we need to talk." Levi said, he turned his head towards the MPs "Guards can you leave us with the prisoner, you can come back when we leave or when-"

"Or when the guards come and finally get me?" Kenny said, interrupting Levi. "How longs that gonna be, pretty soon?"

Levi stared at Kenny for a second before turning his head back to the MPs. "We'll be fine." He said the MPs quickly walked outside the dungeon, closing the door and leaving the Ackermans to themselves.

Kenny walked over to a wooden stool and picked it up before placing it in front of Levi and Mikasa. "So how long I've got left?" he asked as he sat down and faced them.

"Couple minutes at most" Levi replied.

"How they gonna do it?" Kenny asked further. "Firing squad? Exile me outside the walls? Beheading?"

"It's a public execution, they're gonna hang you." Levi answered "MPs are setting up the gallows now as we speak."

"You picked a hell of a time to come then, leaving it to the last minute." Kenny joked. "And it's a shame this'll be the only time I get to talk to ya, Mikasa" he turned his attention to her "Every meetin' before that had us trying to kill each other."

"You kidnapped Eren, put my friends in danger, even tortured one of them, and tried to kill me first." Mikasa replied it wasn't hard to tell she was angry "I'd do it again if I had to."

"Fair enough." Kenny replied.

"Kenny, we're here to ask some questions." Levi stated "And to hand you these." Levi placed down the box in his hands and opened the lid, inside were a pair of smart leather shoes, Levi slipped them through the bar to Kenny.

"Should have brought a whole tux if ya wanted me to look nice for the hanging" Kenny commented as he took the shoes "bit heavy…" the realisation suddenly dawned on him.

"This will make it quick… hopefully." Levi said. "We're running out of time, we need you to answer some questions."

"Shoot." Kenny replied.

"Ed told us about your plan, to take the coordinate and then challenge the God that sent Edward and Alphonse here, why?"

"Power… it's what I wanted and it kept me going knowing I'd get it someday." Kenny replied. "Well until now at least." He turned his head back to Mikasa once more "Tell me Mikasa, what keeps you going, why do you get up in the morning and keep doing what you do?"

Mikasa hesitated answering for a few seconds "My friends" she answered simply "I want to protect them; they're the only family I have now."

"Family? Just like my grandpa." Kenny replied as he looked down to the ground. "No matter what or who, everyone's got something driven' them forward; it can be booze, women, God, family, the king, dreams, and children and power…" Kenny listed "they couldn't keep going unless their drunk on something. Everyone is a slave to something… even him." Kenny lifted his head up towards Levi "Tell me Levi, they call you humanity's strongest soldier but do ya really think of ya self as a hero?"

"I'll do what needs to be done and be whoever I need to be." Levi stated.

"I'll take that as a yes then." Kenny replied.

"Are you still planning on carrying out your dream?" Levi asked.

"Ya know… I think I'm just about done." Kenny replied.

"Why is the first king content with seeing humanity be wiped out?" Levi questioned. "What is this philosophy of peace?"

"I don't know" Kenny replied simply "All I know I know from my grandpa; told me that the Ackermans opposed the first king for the reason he wanted to wipe away the memories and keep everyone inside the walls." Kenny threw off his shoes and placed on the leather pair given to him "It's why they hunted us for all those years but we don't even know the secret anymore."

"Our names are Ackerman and we all experienced that same event; it turned us into who we are now, what is the Ackerman family?" Levi inquired.

"Apparently we were elite guards to the royal family, living it up in the high life till we took a stand against the king." Kenny replied. "Fucking idiots had to ruin something good."

"What are you to us?" Levi asked his tone was noticeably softer.

"I was Kuchel's brother." Kenny replied, he turned back to Mikasa "As for you little lady, I'm not too sure what I am to you but I knew you existed and your family were living near Shiganshina for a time. I read what happened to ya parents in ya profile, sorry that happened to ya and I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to stop it." Kenny let his head slump down slightly "I'm sorry I couldn't stop either of ya parents from dying on you. I don't know too much about the kind a people ya are but I know ya both deserved better than this." There was a knock on the door, catching their attention for only a few seconds.

 _Looks like times up…_

Levi walked up and wrapped his hand around the bar "On that day, why did you leave me?" he asked.

"I couldn't be some kid's dad…" the door to the dungeon open as MPs armed with muskets entered.

"Captain Levi, we're here to escort the prisoner." The officer stated as he placed his clenched fist over his heart.

Levi looked over at Kenny and then to the MPs "Go on, I won't stop you." he replied.

"Guess this is it then." Kenny remarked as he stood up from the wooden stool as the officers open the doors to his cell. "You two gonna be there?" he asked as the MPs grabbed Kenny by his arms and moved him out of his cell.

"Yes." Levi replied.

"Thank you." Kenny didn't resist as the MPs moved him from the dungeon. They walked him up the stairs, two MPs walking both in front and behind him with the ones holding his arms and all armed with muskets, he was walked through the building and basked in the sunlight beaming from the windows. He hadn't seen the sun in probably a bit more than a day but it felt like an eternity.

It was nice.

They brought him towards some double doors; they opened slowly as they approached it. Past the doors were the concrete walls, spiked fences and the wide open gates of the Military Police building that housed him. On the platform going down he could see the open space, the mass crowd gathering around and the gallows which had already been set up for him.

"Keep moving." Ordered the MP behind him as they shoved the butt of their musket into Kenny's back. Kenny lurched forward, almost tripping down the stairs, as he continued his way towards the gallows. A platoon of MPs was now surrounding the gallows as he was escorted towards it. Even now he didn't feel scared, anxious or angry.

No, it was like relief; he was going to be free of it soon.

"Up the stairs." The MP ordered, the two holding his arms moved back and aimed their muskets at him. Right now he could already see, feel and imagine the ways he could escape. That was just the Ackerman blood in him trying to find a way to survive. He walked up the wooden stairs and onto the platform. Two more MPs waited for him.

"Stand here prisoner." They moved him in front of the noose as they wrapped the rope around his neck. It felt itchy against his skin. He looked around in the crowd for them, his eyes catching sight of some shuffling nearby as he spotted Levi and Mikasa watching him in the middle of the crowd.

"Kenny Ackerman, for the murder of numerous military officials and soldiers, the Mayor of Stohess and countless innocents, you have been sentenced to die." The MP announced as he read off from his notes "Any last words?"

"Don't worry about a thing, Grandpa, the family's gonna be alright." He said looking down at Levi and Mikasa. A black bag was then placed over his head, blocking his view of them as it was tighten around his neck.

 _If those two can take down a son of a bitch like me, then there ain't anything in this world that can stop them…_

The last thing that went through his mind was if the shoes he was given would work.

* * *

Squashed together inside a carriage, Levi squad traveled towards the back entrance of the palace where the fake king had once resided. The streets were flooded with people as the carriage moved along the road at crawling speed. Connie and Sasha peered through the closed curtains of the carriage. Both Ed and Alphonse were sat in between Eren, Armin and Mikasa while Sasha, Connie, Jean and Mina sat on the other side.

"Hey can you guys not do that?" Ed asked. "Don't want people to know we're here and cause a ruckus."

"I forgot to ask, was it true what they said in the newspaper about you guys? The whole message from the Truth thing?" Connie asked.

"It was a fabrication, Connie." Alphonse replied "In order to get the people to support Historia's rule."

"And just when the public we're getting use to you two." Jean commented "Might make your lives harder if you have any business in a crowded area."

"No kidding." Ed sighed.

"Things will calm down eventually." Mina tried to reassure them. "A lot has been happening in a short space of time, people just have to get use to the change."

"Still though, the expectation on you guys to deliver will be even higher now with all this talk of divine connections." Armin commented "Honestly it seems like a gamble; a slip up or failure from either of you could send the system crashing down." Armin leaned forward slightly as he rubbed the side of his chin "Still none of this will matter if we lose to the titans in Shiganshina; failing to meet any perceived expectations will be the least of our worries."

"Everything hinges on whether we win." Eren stated plainly.

"So nothing's changed" Jean added "or at least not that much." Silence loomed over and around them as the thought of the coming operation seeped into their minds.

Suddenly there was the sliding latch was opened "Hey we're pulling up to the back entrance now." said Levi. The carriage slowly made a turn

The sound of gravel being crushed under the hooves of the horse and the wheel of the carriage, followed by the screeching sound of gates closing as the carriage came to a halt. There was a knock at the front "Get out." Levi ordered. Armin opened the door as they stepped out into the courtyard of the palace.

"This place looks nice." Alphonse commented looking around at the palace.

"Admire the place later; you guys are here to see Historia before she becomes Queen." Levi said.

"Aren't you coming to see her too, Captain?" Eren asked.

"I've got some things to sort out with Darius, Petra you take them to meet her." Levi said as he walked off "I'll meet you guys afterwards."

The group all looked to Petra who shrugged "You heard the captain." She said as she waved them forward towards the doors of the palace's interior. The small group all scurried inside, the palace interior was stunning. Polished marble floors, bright white wallpaper with red velvet curtains partially covered the clear windows which decorated the walls with the paintings and small statues of royal family members past.

"Woah…" Connie said as he looked around.

"So this is where Historia's going to live?" Sasha added "It looks really nice."

Ed elbowed Alphonse's arm softly, catching his attention "Wrath's place looked nicer to be honest."

Alphonse shrugged in response "Yeah I guess so."

A member of the palace's staff walked up to them "You all must be Historia's former squad members." The staff member said "Her majesty is currently getting ready but I can take you to her." They were quickly led up some stairs and onto the second floor and through a grand looking hallway to one of the many rooms. "She's in here." They said opening the door. The squad quietly entered the room; an MP stood by the door as Historia sat by the large window dressed in a long bright white gown.

She turned her head to face them and stood up from her chair "Guys… Lieutenant." She was about to place her clenched fist on her heart when Petra walked up and hugged her.

Petra pulled back slowly, hands gently holding Historia's shoulders "It's good to see you again. You look nice."

"Thank you" Historia replied, she turned towards her friends "Everyone, it's good to see you again." They all went up to her and individually hugged her. She walked up to Edward and Alphonse who stood back and watched, she wrapped her arms around them both. "Thank you both for doing this, I know it wasn't easy for you." She moved back and looked at Ed "What you said back in the cavern… you were right, I wanted to make my dad love me."

"He didn't deserve someone like you." Ed replied.

"You must be feeling nervous." Sasha said.

"I'm a bit nervous." Historia "Still doesn't compare to battling titans though." They all chuckled.

"Or getting shot at by the MPs" Connie added he then quickly shifted towards the guards "No offence."

"Are you two nervous?" Historia asked both Ed and Alphonse

"Just got to show up, stand in front of you and kneel? Not the hardest task to complete." Ed replied. "We've performed in front of people so it's not something unusual for us."

"So much has changed, hasn't it?" Historia said.

"You became a queen." Mina added "Well about to become one."

"Things are probably going to continue changing from here on out." Jean replied.

"But it will all be for the better… hopefully." Eren added.

"We've all been through so much together." Historia said "Jean, Sasha, Mina, Petra… I know your parents must have been through so much. That's why I've asked for them to be compensated in some way, if anything we're to happen to you they'll be protected."

The three stood speechless for a second before Petra replied "Thank you." Mina began rubbing her eyes, Sasha had a soft smile on her face as she began blinking repeatedly and Jean turned away for a few seconds with his clenched fist covering his mouth. "Yeah… thank you." Jean mumbled out.

"Oh come on you guys." Petra laughed softly as she wiped a tear off her cheek "You're gonna make me cry."

"It's a bit too late for me." Mina giggled as she flicked away at tear with her finger. There was another chuckle amidst the tears

"Im… I'm so proud of you guys." Petra said "You've all done so well, I couldn't have asked for better team mates."

"And we're lucky to have you watching over us." Eren replied.

"You saved Armin and my lives back then, we owe you for that." Jean added.

"I'd do it all again." Petra replied.

There was a knock on the door as a smartly dressed official entered the room "Excuse me for interrupting but it's time now."

* * *

Historia turned her body around to see Edward and Alphonse holding the ends of her large regal robe. "Thank you" she mouthed to them. Both brothers nodded their heads in response. They stood inside the large hallway as they waited for the big moment.

"It's okay; we all have to play our part in this." Alphonse replied.

Suddenly the doors leading outside opened before them. "I guess this is it." Ed said. The three walked out of the palace to the sound of drums and loud cheering and a large set of wooden stairs in front of her.

As the doors to the palace behind her closed a massive wooden platform with the colours of the royal family's banners draped over it greeted her, blocking her view of the masses of people that stood on the other side waiting for her, a mountain of steps waited before her to make the climb upwards.

Historia took in a deep breath before letting out soft sigh. She then began to walk up the large set of stairs towards the platform with Edward and Alphonse following her and holding up her robe from the floor. The buildings soon came into view as they neared the top and the loud cheers and yells that preceded their climb became almost deafening. When Historia finally got onto the top of the platform she could she them all, the masses of people forming an impossibly large lake of people.

Commanders Erwin, Dok, Pixis, Darius stood before her along with other officials with a golden crown resting on a large red cushion on the floor. Ed and Alphonse walked in front of her and turned to face her, standing at the sides of the crown. The crowd quickly died down as the two came in sight and watched in anticipation of the two.

They knelt down, gently picked up the crown and lifted it up from the cushion as Historia bowed her head slightly as they placed the crown over her head. She lifted her head up to face them, both Ed and Alphonse nodded at her, they then knelt before her.

"Long live the queen!" Ed yelled.

"Chosen by God!" Alphonse added.

The commanders and officials followed as they knelt before her. "Long live the Queen!" there was a ear piercing cheer as the mass of people began to voice their support.

"Long live the queen!"

"The true queen!"

"Chosen by God!"

Historia placed her clenched fist over her heart as she bowed her head slightly towards those knelt before her. She turned towards the people and lifted her head up, held high, she faced her people.

Despite it all, the event and time, she felt calm.

 _Ymir, if you could see me now… what would you say? Would you laugh? Would you be proud? Or would you still ask me to run away with you?_

She turned back to people knelt before her "Rise." She commanded.

 _I don't know how you would feel… but all I know is that this is my choice. It is no one else's but mine… and I will live my life with pride._

The commanders and both Elrics stood up before her, the sound of a cannon being fired in distance echoed. She turned around as both Ed and Alphonse lifted up the ends of her long robe once more as they walked off the platform, the doors to the palace opened once more to let them in. As the group slipped back through the doors as they closed both Ed and Alphonse dropped the ends of Historia's robe unceremoniously.

"That was loud." Alphonse commented as he rubbed his ears.

"Thought my ears were about to pop." Ed added.

"My Queen, you did well." Darius stated catching their attention. "You too, Elrics, You've played your part well and humanity is grateful."

"Commander Darius, have you thought about changing the system to a democracy?" Edward questioned "Cus' we didn't just 'legitimise' a regime just for you to have total control to do whatever you want behind the scenes." Both Edward and Alphonse looked at Darius accusingly.

Darius looked at them blankly "In time things must change, much like what we have done now, there will come a time but for now we all must focus on humanity's survival than its long term governance."

"We will hold you too that, Commander." Ed replied.

"I'm sure you will." Darius replied. "Now let's get ready for the celebration, there will be a lot of work ahead of us." He walked past them while patting both Edward and Alphonse on the back. "One more thing you should know, my Queen." He said turning back to face them "Your former comrade, Annie Leonhart, will be placed on trial soon. The general consensus is that she will be sentenced to death and her titan transferred to someone else, I've already briefed Captain Levi about this earlier in the day." The three continued to listen to him patiently "Of course however if you feel the need to find someone who'll put a case forward in her defence then you are free to do so, everything will be behind closed doors so the public won't know." Darius once more turned his back to them and walked away leaving them.

"The others must be waiting for us." Historia said breaking their concentration. "We shouldn't keep them waiting any longer now."

"You're right." Ed replied, they continued to walk down the long hallway.

"You should probably get out of that robe now." Alphonse commented "it's surprisingly weighty."

"No kidding it's like having to drag chains attached to my shoulders." Historia laughed lightly.

"Historia, are you going to take Darius on that offer?" Ed asked.

"To help Annie… I'm going to have to think about it." Historia replied "She's our friend."

"She's your friend, Al and I only know her as the Female titan." Ed replied

"There are a lot of things I'll have to weight up first." Historia stated, she wondered to herself whether she should try to help Annie.

" _I know you can never forgive us but please, someone…anyone… find us…"_ Bertholdt words seem to echo inside her mind, did Annie feel the same way too?

A couple minutes had passed since the coronation and Historia had removed her crown and royal clothing for a plain gown as she reunited with her friends, who had watched from a balcony of the palace.

"So ummm… do we call say your majesty or do we still call you Historia?" Connie asked sheepishly as the group walked together.

"Still call me by my name, Connie." Historia replied.

"Historia, do you still plan on hitting Captain Levi." Eren asked.

"We're you and Ed the ones who encouraged me to do it?" Historia threw back, an anxious look on her face.

"It was a suggestion from the Reeves Boss but if you can let it go then you should." Eren advised.

"I'm not fit to be Queen unless I do this." Historia replied.

"I say go for it, Historia." Ed added with a devious smile on his face.

"Brother…" Alphonse whined disapprovingly.

"What? Someone's gotta hit Levi and you know I'm not allowed to." Ed responded.

The group quickly came upon Levi and Petra who waited for them in the hallway, Petra gave a small wave at them as they continued to approach them.

"Well… this is it." Jean said as they stopped in front of the two.

"Historia, congratulations on becom-"

"AAAAHHHHH!" Historia yelled as she pulled her arm back and threw a hard right punch into Levi's arm. Everyone gasped, shocked by the sheer audacity and bravery of Historia to punch her former officer while Ed and Jean seemed to cheer her on. "HAHAHA!" Historia laughed loudly "What you gonna do now, huh? I'm your queen, you can't-"

"Heh…" the biggest shock of all came afterwards when the squad witnessed the usually stone faced Levi crack a small smile. It was like watching a miracle unfold before them. "Thanks, all of you."

* * *

Annie lay staring up at the familiar ceiling of her underground cell and the rough surface of the stone walls which trapped her from the dim candle lights just outside the metal bars which separated her from the outside.

 _Damn it…_ she thought _right there… they were right there in front of us this entire time_ she clenched her fist tightly as she slammed it against the wall. It was too late now to do anything; they were going to sentence her to die just like Kenny soon. She raised her hand to her face and for a few seconds contemplated biting into it.

 _Wouldn't work, I'd just be restrained underground._

She turned over to her side and stared into the wall. Her thoughts shifted back to home… that training field littered with straw filled dummies surrounded by a mass crowd of trees which hid them from the world. She always hated that place. What she wouldn't give to see it again.

Her father waiting for her to come back and the promise she gave him that she would return. He'd always use to force her to train her close combat skill; he's the one who got her into the warrior programme in the first place.

 _I wouldn't have had a lot of time left after this mission to spend with him and now I won't have any time at all…_

" _Just promise me… you'll come back to me…"_

Annie pressed the end of her pillow against her face as she grabbed the corner of it in frustration. "No… I can't die here… Im… Im… going-" suddenly the cell door screeched open, Annie lifted her head up to see Mina walking through.

"Oh… Annie, were you sleeping?" Mina asked "I'll come back later-"

"No its fine, I was just thinking about something." Annie replied as she sat up on her bed. Mina walked into the cell as she sat down on the bed with Annie.

"Thinking about what if you don't mind me asking." Mina asked.

"Home…" Annie replied as she looked over to the floor.

"What's your home like, your real home?" Mina asked further.

"It's quiet and my dad makes me work hard." Annie replied. "It's a wooden area and we live secluded from others." Annie clenched her fist.

Mina placed her hand on Annie's fist "I wish I can help you with that." Mina replied. "Maybe in the future we can try to make peace with your home and reunite you with him."

Annie looked at me with sad eyes; she knew Mina was trying her best to cheer her up and keep her hopeful, always trying to be a good friend. "That won't happen." Reality was far too cruel and complicated.

"It might be naïve for me to say but after winning against someone like the king and Kenny maybe there's a chance for everything." Mina replied.

"They're going to transfer my titan." Annie stated coldly. She suddenly felt Mina's hand gasp hers tightly.

"I know…" Mina muttered. "Captain Levi told us after the coronation."

"So you know that I'm done for?" Annie asked.

"No… like I said, anything can happen." Mina replied "Which is why I'm going to put a case forward for you at your trial." Both Annie and Mina stared into each other, neither breaking away "I don't know when or how but… I'm going to save you and when this whole thing with the titans and this thing about you, Reiner and Bertholdt's home are resolved I'll help you get back to your dad, I promise I'll find a way."

* * *

"That's the place" Sasha stated as she peered through the telescope at an estate in the middle of a field surround by tall grass, the orange dawn casting a shadow the lurking garrison and scouts hidden in the tall grass. A few days had passed since the new regime had been installed but there still remained pockets of resistance from the autocrats, former nobility and those remaining first squad MPs scattered across the walls. Bit by bit they were being apprehended or eradicated and hiding inside a ditch in the mud, shielded by the towering grass around them, Levi squad were now closing in on the final stronghold of the first squad MPs.

"How many of them are we looking at here?" Levi asked.

"About eight of them outside just patrolling the outside, armed with muskets, but there could be others inside; I saw some people pass the windows a couple of times." Sasha replied.

"Are the garrison ready?" Levi asked.

Sasha turned from the left then to the right, spotting others hiding in the grass waving at her. "Yes sir."

"Thank you." Levi replied he turned towards his squad who were huddled around him; almost everyone was there barring Eren who remained under Scout protection. "Okay here's the plan." He pointed towards a small map of the estate's blueprints. "Petra, you do the honors."

"The garrison are going to cause a distraction at the front of the building." Petra stated, she then glided her finger towards their position and then towards the back of the estate. "Our job is to infiltrate the building from the back and flush out the others. Remember, we want to capture as many of them as we can so avoid killing."

Suddenly a loud bang disrupted the peaceful field as a chorus of muskets followed and a collective cry rang out. "That's the signal." Levi said "Move through the grass and don't get caught." As Levi squad shuffled through the grass, Armin quickly made a last minute check of his matches, taking one of them one of the box, as they made their way to the back of the estate. Levi quickly raised his hand up, halting their movement, he pointed towards Armin and then the back wall of the estate.

Armin shuffled forward _I have to get this just right; I'll get caught as soon as I stand up._ He placed the match and the striker and concentrated on a path towards the target. He quickly stood up from the tall grass and struck the match, a contained explosion blew a hole into the wall in the estate. Only a few seconds later a small group of rogues ran through the hole, spotting Armin standing in the grass.

"It's the arsonist!" yelled one of the men as they aimed their muskets at Armin; the man was then hit in the shoulder by an incoming arrow. Very quickly further shots from muskets were followed, hitting the rebels' legs and arms. Levi squad quickly shuffled forward towards the wounded rebels and the massive hole in the wall.

"Petra, you take Connie, Jean and Sasha and take these men to the garrison position, stay hidden in the grass" Levi ordered. "Move into the estate with the garrison once we take the front entrance.

"Yes, captain." Petra said as they started to tie up the hands of the rebels.

Levi, Edward, Alphonse, Armin and Mina entered the building; the inside was dark with its windows boarded up and only a few scattered candles providing glimmers of light. The inside was a complete mess with dusty crates piled up along the hallway and the fancy rugs that had decorated the floor were ripped and ruined. The team came up to a corner, the sound of gunfire and yelling was once again intense, Levi pulled out his blade and stuck the blade out of the corner and watched the reflection of rebel soldiers shooting from the front windows at the garrison.

Levi turned back to the others and raised up his hand showing four fingers, Ed walked forward and stood next to Levi, he watched the reflection as he pressed his hands together and placed them onto the floor, never keeping his eyes off the reflection. There was a flash of blue light and lighting followed by the collective "Ugh!" of the men standing at the other side of the corner. The group followed from the corner as a line of fists began to slowly dissolve back into the walls.

Both Ed and Alphonse rushed forward, a door to the side swings open and other rebels rush forward trying to hit them with the butt of their muskets. Ed expertly ducks under the strike from one of the attackers and hits an uppercut into his attacker's guts and the struck them in the temple with his right foot with a wipe kick. Alphonse grabbed the musket with his attacker and stood off for a few seconds before pushing them into the wall and struck his opponent's face with a direct front kick to the face.

"Good work." Levi complemented.

"We've done this before." Ed replied.

"Yeah I know." Levi quickly replied.

The sound of footsteps rumbled above them, Ed clapped his hands together and placed them onto the walls the second floor suddenly receded into the side as the rebel troops above fell down into the first floor. A tall rebel soldier dressed in the uniform of the first squad MPs landed in front of Armin. Armin quickly stamped onto the head of the soldier before they could get up as the others did the same.

Armin looked down at the soldier he stamped on and noticed the label near his badge; he knelt down for a closer look. _Djel Sannes…_

Levi kicks open the front door into the open front of the estate and pulled out a flare gun from his side, firing off a gun and a large column of green smoke. Everything went smoothly; outnumbered and outmatched the rest of the remaining rebels had given up, turning themselves in to the garrison troops and Levi squad.

Armin watched through the window of the upper floor as the groups of rebels were placed into wagons, tied up. "No time to procrastinate, Armin." Jean said catching his attention "We still have to clear out every room for anything valuable."

Armin, Jean and Alphonse walked up towards the last unopened door in the estate "This probably leads into the attic." Armin guessed.

Alphonse grabbed the handle of the door and turned it only to find the handle resisting to turning. "It's locked." Alphonse commented. He took his hand off the door knob and pressed both hands together, placing them onto the door morphed into a stack of planks lined up onto the side of the doorframe, in front of them was a set of stairs leading up.

"Couldn't have just destroyed the door?" Jean asked.

"I'm sure the next person to own this will appreciate the extra lumber." Alphonse replied jokingly. Alphonse then peer his head into staircase. "Hello?" he called out "If there's anyone up there, come down at once; if you surrender now we promise not to hurt you."

Jean lifted up the shotgun he was holding as he moved in front and began ascending the stairs slowly; both Armin and Alphonse followed him. The stairs led to an open area, closed off only by the walls of the roof, the sun flowing through the lone window. Jean peaked over the floor, his eyes scanning the space "Looks to be empty." he said as he walked up onto the floor. Both Armin and Alphonse followed him up; all around them were large wooden crates and tables pushed up to the walls with various contraptions and tools scattered across them.

"What is this stuff?" Jean said as he began picking up items off the table.

"This… this is a revolver." Alphonse said picking up a cylinder with holes in it.

"Revolver, what's that?" Armin asked.

"It's a type of gun, it holds multiple bullets." Alphonse explained. "Or at least it looks like a revolver."

"This is the Anti-personnel's ODM gear." Jean said picking up the gear and showing it to Armin and Alphonse.

Armin walked across the tables of items and found a small book with a hard black coloured cover; he picked up the book and scanned the contents of the book. The layout of the book was the year, surnames, incident and then full name of the MPs in charge of the operation.

The names of people who were killed by the first squad MPs went on for page after page…

 _Daniels… Achilles… Becker… Geiger… Hertz… Holtz… Allen… Church… Clarke… Snyder… Weaver… Smith… Howard… Davis… Peters… Walker…_

 _Arlert..._

 _840 / Mr and Mrs Arlert / couple try to leave the walls via blimp and both were shot before ascension / Djel Sannes._

* * *

"So the attic is packed with them with equipment and tech." Levi said as he listened to Jean and Alphonse. They were all standing outside the estate as the garrison constantly began moving crates and prisoners from the building.

"Yes captain." Alphonse said, he then handed him the modified ODM gear. Levi took the ODM gear and examined it; turning it around trying to pick up every detail of it.

"Alright, thanks for letting me know." Levi said. "Where's Arlert, wasn't he with you?"

"He was captain; he had to hand the garrison officers a book about the first squad's pervious operations." Jean explained "The book had a bunch of names of people inside; it went back a couple years."

"A kill list" Levi stated.

"Yes." Jean replied.

"That's none of our concern then, the central government can manage that." Levi stated. "Get back to the others; we're following the garrison to Hermina, we have some business concerning the trial of Leonhart also some very rich pigs would like to talk to you and Edward." He mentioned turning his head towards Alphonse "You two are dismissed."

"Yes, captain." Both Jean and Alphonse replied as they placed their fist over their heart. Levi nodded back as he left the two. "Jean, you head back, I'm going to meet up with Armin." Alphonse said.

"Go ahead." Jean said as he walked away.

Alphonse casually walked over towards the group of wagons, walking towards them keeping an eye out for Armin; he spotted the neat line of wagons and the battered prisoners sitting inside and the numerous garrison soldiers standing around. His eyes searched for Armin, he turned his head back slightly towards a lone tree and found him; standing solitarily as he looked over at small piece of paper in his hand. Alphonse jogged towards Armin; the closer he came the more he noticed that Armin was deep in thought.

 _Why hasn't he noticed yet?_

"Hey!" Alphonse called out. Armin didn't turn his head; he was looking back at the piece of paper, then towards the wagons, then the piece of paper, then the wagons, then the piece of paper, then the wagons… Alphonse stopped jogging and as he came closer noticed that the piece of paper in Armin's hand was being scrunched from the bottom, like he was holding onto it for dear life.

Alphonse walked up to Armin "Armin." He said as he placed his hand on Armin's shoulder. Armin jumped slightly as he turned his head towards Alphonse.

"Alphonse, sorry I didn't see you there." Armin replied.

"Alphonse, what's that you're holding?" Alphonse asked.

"Just some notes on flame alchemy." Armin assured him.

"Can I see?" Alphonse asked as he moved his hand towards the note.

Armin quickly snatched it away "Actually I was hoping that you could test me later." Armin folded the note and shoved it into his pocket. "Consider this me just studying." He said with a smile.

"Okay sure… anyway Levi said we're heading over to Hermina with the garrison." Alphonse said as the two began to walk off "We have to stay there for a few days, Levi has to sort some things out with Annie's trial and Ed and I have some people to meet."

"What kind of people?" Armin asked.

"Just some business people" Alphonse replied. "You're getting pretty good at flame alchemy."

"I know" Armin replied. Alphonse's eyes looked down at the pocket where Armin placed his note.

 _What are you hiding, Armin?_

It was a long journey to Hermina all and all during it, Alphonse made sure to keep a close eye on Armin.

As the large gate of the district opened before them the convoy passed through the large tunnel to a crowd of curious people "You two, hoods up, don't want to cause a scene." Levi instructed.

"It's not like we can choose to." Ed grumbled.

"No back talk." Levi replied.

Alphonse moved his hood over his head and pulled down the end to cover his eyes. He looked down at the horse behind him as the sound of clopping, the rumbling and squeaking of the wheels and the mumbling of the surrounding crowds filled his ears. He could make out his and Edward's name being spoken and the eyes of those searching for them, he felt the heat in his cheeks as he began to feel embarrassed.

It was a long way from prying eyes.

* * *

Inside the barracks of Hermina district; Armin sat at a desk near his bed, his eyes going over that one line on the piece of paper, an entire day had passed since they arrived at the district.

"840 / Mr and Mrs Arlert / couple try to leave the walls via blimp and both were shot before ascension / Djel Sannes." He muttered to himself. He shut his eyes for a second and sighed deeply.

He placed the note down on the table and pulled out his matchbox, looking at the alchemy symbols drawn into the front and the back of the box. As he continued to stare at the symbol his mind began to creep towards the memory of the intense screaming and the smell of scorched flesh…

He slammed the box onto the desk, squashing the box; he slowly lifted his hand up and looking at the box once more. He sat back on his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm not like them… I'm not like him…" he muttered. He picked up the note on the table once more "Djel Sannes…" he thought back to that the man he helped capture.

He stood up from his chair, picked up his matchbox and shoved it back into his pocket. He then rushed out of the door and through the barracks; he decided then and there he was going to confront him. But Armin couldn't just walk into the prison then and there, he needed to observe and learn first. He went outside, the heat of the sun bearing down on him slightly as he continued to pace around. He began to wonder further away from the barracks.

"Why did you do it?" Armin muttered to himself "Why did you kill them…" as he continued to walk through the streets he came across a large group of people crowding around a street corner.

"Hey can you move back!" yelled Ed, Armin perked up slightly, the thoughts of his heads being quickly dissolved as he tried to catch sight of them through the crowd.

"Have you received more messages from God?"

"When will we be free of the titans?"

"Have you come to save humanity?"

"Can you help transform Hermina?"

"Are you angels in the guise of humans?"

"Please settle down, we're still just people." Alphonse assured them as he stuck his arms out to make some space between them and the crowd. "Now if you can please stand aside we have business to attend to." Also instantly the crowd began to disperse, as the people began to move Armin picked out the faces of both Ed and Alphonse. They looked almost taken aback by how quickly the people responded to their asking to leave.

"Ed, Alphonse." Armin called out as he walked towards them.

"Armin, good to see you" Alphonse replied waving at him.

"Nice to meet someone who isn't obsessed with us" Ed remarked.

"Does this happen all the time you go out now?" Armin asked, he turned his head side to side to watch the people lingering around slowly leave.

"No, it seems like whenever we're in a crowded area we'll have a bunch of people come up to us." Ed replied "But not everyone thankfully."

"They always seem to comply whenever we ask them to stand back or to leave us alone." Alphonse said, the look on his face suggested he was a little unnerved by that fact.

"I guess there's a legend being built around you; the more you do for them, the more people will believe that you are something more than human." Armin theorised. "If you two wanted to you could start your own following."

Armin watched as both visibly shuddered at the thought "Never." Ed stated "That will never happen, we've seem where that kind of thinking leads and how messed up it is to exploit something like that."

"So what are you two doing anyways?" Armin asked, trying to steer the conversation away from the current topic.

"Just came back from a meeting with some business leaders in Hermina." Alphonse replied "They wanted to pitch to us that they could develop the tech ideas we've been helping Hange's team design."

"One of them went on about automail and how much he was impressed by it." Ed added. "I swear it was like listening to Winry."

"Winry?"

"Winry is our friend back on our world, she's also Ed's mechanic." Alphonse replied. "Anyway Armin, why are you out?"

"Just wanted to get some fresh air and walk around Hermina is all." Armin replied. Not exactly a lie…

Alphonse stared at Armin for a second; Armin knew that he was catching onto him. "Really, well it was nice seeing you and remember that I'm going to quiz you on your flame alchemy."

 _Oh right… that was my cover for…_ he slipped his hand into his pocket and felt the edges of the note.

"Of course, Alphonse" Armin replied. Both Ed and Alphonse nodded at him before walking away. Armin watched them for a few seconds before quickly turning away and heading towards the prison in Hermina.

He picked up some rocks along his path, as he was only a few streets away from the prison he stepped into an alleyway where he began scraping a transmutation circle into the titles. He placed the other rocks into the center of the circle and placed his hands on the edges. A bright flash of light lit up the alleyway very briefly and before him were a few gold pieces. He snatched up the pieces and quickly began walking towards the prison once more.

At the entrance were two guards, MPs, who were standing watch over the gate connected to the large walls. "I've been sent here by captain Levi." Armin stated as he walked up to the guards. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the note. "I've been asked to question certain individuals in regards to this list."

"Go on then." One of the MPs said as they waved Armin through. Armin walked through the gate and into the prison complex.

Inside was a lobby and a desk, Armin approached the desk "Do you know where the rebels are being held? I'm with Levi squad and I've been asked to question one of the prisoners about this."

"Down the left corridor and at the end, they're being held in the large cell." Armin nodded to the person at the desk before making his way to them.

Down the long grey corridor he came upon a metal door and a single guard sitting down on a wooden chair. "I'm here to question one of the prisoners about this." Armin stated as he shown the guard the piece of paper. The guard stood up and unlocked the door before opening it for Armin. As Armin stepped in the large room he stood before large cell which took up most of the room and metal bars separating him and the prisoners. The captured remnants of the first squad all turned towards him. All eyes were now on him as the door behind him slammed shut. He felt nervous, an impending sense of regret and anxiety chipped away at his resolve, but he stepped forward and scanned the large cell for him.

"Djel Sannes." He called "Step forward." All the prisoners turned towards a single man in the back. There he was, the men who Armin ran into during the raid and who he help apprehend. Djel walked forward towards Armin, he towered over Armin as they came face to face with each other.

"What do you want?" he questioned.

"I'm here to ask you some questions." Armin replied.

"You think… you think you could get me to talk?" Djel questioned Armin once more "You usurpers and your false Queen, they questioned me for hours but got nothing from me. What makes them think I'd give up anything for you?"

"You refuse to talk out of some kind of loyalty for the false king?" for Frieda Reiss who was just a puppet to the coordinate?" Armin questioned.

"I refuse to submit to that brat Historia." Djel growled. "I'll die before I'll call her my queen, my queen died in that cave 5 years ago."

"I see…" Armin said, placed his hand inside his pocket. His fingers grasping at the match box in his pocket, an idea of burning him alive right then and there flashing through his mind. He turned his back towards the captured interior MPs and headed back to the door, knocking on it and being let out of the room. "Could you do something for me." He asked the guard as he closed the door.

"What?" the guard asked impolitely.

"I need you to listen to the conversations, record anything spoken that might be important and report that to me every day for the next few days." Armin asked. The guard gave Armin a funny look at his request but before he could respond Armin was already reaching into the pocket of coat and pulled out a single piece of gold. The guard's eyes widen for a second as his mouth gaped slightly. "I'll give you one for each day should you provide the information. Do you accept?" the guard stared down at the gold then towards Armin and back towards the gold…

"Sure kid… I'll do it." The guard replied.

Armin walked away from the guard, the prison building and its gate. As he walked back to the barracks he wondered to himself why he didn't just burn Djel right then and there and bribe to back up his explanation.

 _I still have to know… why he did it, what drove him to kill them..._

* * *

"Okay, so the symbols for an explosion and a more regular ignition of fire are identified in these differences." Armin explained as he presented the transmutation circles to Alphonse. Alphonse looked over the symbols drawn on paper on the clip board, Armin was taking this review of his flame alchemy very sincerely and Alphonse wouldn't have suspected anything less from Armin who himself asked for this. They sat alone inside an office space inside the barracks.

So why couldn't Alphonse shake off the feeling that this was some kind of smoke screen?

"Armin, is this all you've been up to since we've been here?" Alphonse asked as he handed the clipboard back to Armin. It had only been a bit over a day since they arrived in Hermina.

"Well there isn't much else to do other than practice and refine my flame alchemy." Armin replied taking the board, he began scribbling notes on the board as Alphonse continue to look at him.

 _That note…_

"Really? Okay." Alphonse replied. "What are you doing later today? Perhaps we can get something to eat together." Alphonse suggested.

"You know I'd like to but I plan on heading over to the district library to study some elements." Armin replied "Another time maybe."

"Okay then." Alphonse replied nodding slightly. "I guess that'll be it for today, we'll pick up on this next time."

"Thank you, Alphonse." Armin said as he got up from his chair and left the room. Alphonse watched Armin as he left the room, as Armin went out of view Alphonse turned his head towards the window and sighed gently.

 _What else do I have to do today? Oh yeah, the meeting with those district engineers and academics…_

It was going to be a long few days.

A few hours had passed and Alphonse and Edward found themselves inside a small lecture room, standing in front of a green board which covered the entire wall that was entirely covered with various explanations and diagrams of elements and their atomic structure.

"These are the different metal alloys, importantly nickel alloy which is used for electrical wire." Ed explained. "If you ever plan on creating technology which we have on our world you'll need to know this to power them." Alphonse began writing down the chemical compound for the alloy.

The attendees scribbled down the information into their paper or notebooks. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, catching everyone's attention.

"I guess that's time." Alphonse said as he placed the chalk to the side. "Same place and time tomorrow." He informed them. The large crowd shuffled away from their seats and towards the exit as both Ed and Alphonse cleared up the board and collected their things. "You know when we signed up for the Scout regiment I never expected to be giving lectures." He said, turning his head towards Ed who was busy wiping the board.

"It's a nice change of pace from getting shot at or almost getting eaten." Ed replied. A few of the attendees walked up to them. "Can I help you?" Ed asked.

"Is it true what they say, that you were sent by God?" asked one of the people.

"Yeah" Ed replied.

"What does he look like?" another attendee.

"It's an outline of a person with a mouth." He replied.

"It gave you your alchemy?"

"In theory everyone can do alchemy but it requires an incredible amount of commitment towards learning and knowing various fields of science connected alchemy." Alphonse replied this time. "That and people need to draw transmutation circles to perform alchemy."

"But I heard that you two only need to clap your hands together."

"It's complicated." Ed replied. There was some whispering among the group. "You got one more question and then we got to go."

"If everyone can learn alchemy then could you teach others?" Both Ed and Alphonse looked at the person. "I mean it's a known fact that squad leader Hange and another one of your comrades have performed alchemy too so you must have taught them."

"That's a whole other thing." Alphonse replied. "We spend almost every day with them so we can teach them; you can't learn alchemy overnight or in a week and the time taken for them to learn while relatively short is because they're both exceptional."

"Listen we got to leave now." Ed said as he pulled Alphonse along towards the door. "See you tomorrow." They quickly made their way out of the district's university "Here Al, put this on." Ed said giving Alphonse a hat and some glasses. "Not exactly a master disguise but it should be enough to make it back to the barracks." Alphonse placed on the disguise and quickly walked through the street with their heads down.

"This kinda like when Jean and I were spying in Stohess, we-" Alphonse eyes quickly caught onto Armin who looked to be turning into a corner. Alphonse watched for a few seconds as Armin walked out of view slightly. "Brother, you go on ahead I need to check something."

"You sure, Al?" Ed asked.

"Yeah I'll be fine." Alphonse replied. Ed continued to walk back to the barracks.

Alphonse began to following Armin at a distance. He watched Armin come up to the district prison where a guard greeted him, Alphonse continued to watch from a distance, the two walked away from the entrance and the other guards as they continued to talk before Armin reached into his pocket and shook the guards hand, the guard nodded and the two parted ways.

 _He must be heading back now…_ Alphonse quickly made his way back towards the barracks. As he began to jog back his mind came back to the note that Alphonse had been holding onto to, he pulled out a pocket watch and looked at the time, making note of it.

For the remaining few days Alphonse would carry out his tasks and while keeping an eye on Armin, he quickly caught on that Armin would meet that same guard at that same time. Every night he noticed that Armin would sit at the desk near his bed and look at the note while he wrote down something on a notepad. And every time Alphonse would walk in Armin would quickly place the note in his pocket or matchbox, close to him.

Tomorrow was the last full day. Alphonse spotted Armin once more at the desk near his bed reading and writing something down. He needed to know what was on that piece of paper.

"Hey Al-" Alphonse quickly turned around to see Mina standing beside him carrying some books with her; he quickly placed his hand over her mouth to stop her from giving him away. He placed his finger to his lips as he dropped his hand down, he gently held her wrist and moved them away from the door.

"Sorry about that." Alphonse said in a hushed tone.

"It's… its fine." Mina replied "What are you doing?"

"Armin is hiding something and I think it has something to do with what he's reading." Alphonse explained.

"Is Armin in trouble?" Mina asked, now concerned.

"I don't think so but… I'm sure it's nothing but I just need to know in case he might be doing something that could get him in trouble. ." Alphonse replied. They both crept back towards the doorway of the room and peered inside to see Armin still at his desk.

"I've got an idea." Mina said "You wait here." Alphonse watched as she quietly approached Armin she then placed her books down on the desk, startling him. "Armin, can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah sure" Armin replied.

"You know that speech you made back in Trost, it was really convincing and you spoke so confidently how'd you do it?" she asked.

"Well I was running on pure adrenaline at the time." Armin replied. "I had to do a lot of thinking on my feet but I knew what I needed to say at that moment, so long as you know clearly what you're arguing for you'll be fine."

"Thank you, Armin." Mina said as she pulled the books off the desk and quickly made her way out of the room "Oh hey Alphonse you heading over to your room?" she announced winking at him. Alphonse walked along side her, both pacing away as Mina reached under the bottom book and handed Alphonse the note.

Alphonse looked at the note; it a page from that small book with a list of names, the kill list as Levi put it, one section had been outlined.

 _840 / Mr and Mrs Arlert / couple try to leave the walls via blimp and both were shot before ascension / Djel Sannes._

 _Mr and Mrs Arlert… Djel Sannes…_

He quickly handed the note back to Mina "Hey!" yelled a voice from behind them. They both turned to see Armin jogging towards them. "Mina, you've might have taken a small piece of paper from my desk.

"Have I?" Mina asked, she wiped the bottom of her book and 'found' the note "Oh sorry, looks like I have." She said handing the note back to him.

Armin looked at the two slightly accusingly "Did you two have the chance to read what was on it?" he asked.

"No, I didn't even know I had taken it." Mina replied "My mistake entirely."

Armin stared at them for a few seconds "Okay, well I'll see you in the morning." He turned back and walked away from them.

Both Alphonse and Mina then began walking again "Thank you, Mina." Alphonse said.

"So what was on the piece of paper?" she asked.

"It's a page ripped from a first squad MP's book, it's from the guys we captured." Alphonse replied. "It looks like a personal matter concerning his family, Armin's planning on doing something, and I don't want him to do something he'd regret."

 _If Armin is going to…_ His mind wondered towards the match box Armin had.

* * *

Today… this personal journey which he set out on would final reach its end. Armin began his walk towards the prison as he had done so in the last few days.

But now there was a feeling of anticipation, anxiety, dread and fear… but it was a different kind of fear. It wasn't the same when he stared down the throat of a titan, when he was towered over by Annie in her titan, when he faced the horde of titans at Utgard castle or when he looked down the barrel of a gun.

This was different; he didn't know what the outcome of those encounters, whether he would survive or die it was always a struggle. This couldn't be more one-sided. When the time came what was he going to do? Could he keep his head clear?

As he walked up to the street corner he could see the prison complex partially, its large walls, barbed wire, celled windows in a dull and lifeless grey coloured building. As he came to the corner he could see someone leaning against the wall in his peripheral vision with their head turned to see Alphonse looking at him with a stony look on his face. He was dressed in his long brown Scout coat and formal clothes like Armin.

"Alphonse…" Armin said, he sighed "I knew you looked at that note, so I take it you've been spying on me for the last few days?"

"Armin, what planning on doing?" Alphonse questioned, the tone of his voice… it was the same as when Armin and him had that discussion about the philosopher stone.

"I'm not here to kill him if that's what you're wondering." Armin replied.

"Then what?" Alphonse continued "Armin… I know that guy killed your parents… I-"

"Alphonse… I was raised by my grandfather after they were killed them." Armin stated "They told us their lies about what happened to them… My grandfather and I had to move on and accept it." Armin turned his body towards Alphonse "My parents were two people on a list of hundreds killed to keep their secrets and their high place in the walls… but I want to know what drove them to do it… what drove Djel to do it and what was he thinking." The stony look on Alphonse face softens as he listened to Armin "I just want closure."

 _I also wanna know if…_

"Okay, I believe you Armin." Alphonse replied "But… would it be alright if I came with you?"

Armin knew that Alphonse was sympathetic to him but he also knew that Alphonse was worried.

"You're worried that I'll abuse my flame alchemy." Armin stated, Alphonse didn't say anything but the hesitation to respond indicated that he hit the nail on the head.

 _Afraid that I'll abuse the alchemy you've taught me…_

"Okay you can come with me." Armin replied. "Follow me and whatever happens just trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"I trust you, Armin." Alphonse replied as he stood up straight and followed him to the prison entrance.

The prison guard who continuously met with Armin was there outside the gate. "Who's he?" the guard asked.

"A friend, its fine" Armin replied.

"Alright then." The guard said as he motioned him to follow them. They walked into the prison; a desk greeted them as they made a turn into a long grey corridor with a single door at the end. The guard pulled out a key and unlocked the door.

"I'm going to need you to give us some time alone." Armin asked, he placed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a rough piece of gold the size of a large pebble. "This is my last payment."

"Of course." The guard said as he took the piece of gold from Armin "Larger than the last ones." The guard chuckled as he walked away from the door, leaving them.

"Armin you-"

"I bribed the guard? Yeah I know the consequences if I get caught but please… just trust me on this." Armin replied. He pushed the door open to see the large cage of prisoners once again. The two of them stepped inside as Armin closed the door behind him and locked it behind him. "Sannes!"

The prisoners all turned their heads towards the two in front of them on the other side of the cage.

"It's that Elric boy and the arsonist…" muttered one of the prisoners

"Those fucking brats with the weird powers."

"What are they doing here?"

"You again…" Djel said as he walked towards them. "You brought your friend with you too." He said looking at Alphonse who was standing next to Armin "You two here to question me again about the people I help kill?"

"Just one, does the surname Arlert sound familiar?" Armin questioned as he pulled out the note from his pocket. "The couple who tried to fly a blimp?"

"I remember them… that idiotic couple who thought they could fly over the walls." Djel replied. Armin clenched his fist as he felt his anger begin quickly to boil and close to spill over "Why does it matter?"

"Because you killed my parents!" Armin yelled. "That 'idiotic couple' had a son." Everyone in the room watched silently "You're going to answer my questions." He reached into his pocket once more and pulled out his matchbox "And I'm not asking."

"Armin!" Alphonse exclaimed.

Armin raised his hand up with one finger up from his clenched fist. The MPs in the cell began to panic once they say the matchbox.

"Shit! Oh fuck!"

"The arsonist is going to kill us!"

"Help! Help! Help"

"No! Oh God please no!"

"Please, please, please no!"

"He's here to kill us! He's here to kill us!"

Armin took his eyes off Sannes, still standing before him; they drifted towards the other prisoners and caught the look of fear on their face as they stared at him and backed away.

 _I'm a monster to these people…_

"Why did you do it?" Armin questioned.

"To keep the peace" Djel stated.

"You call killing my parents keeping the peace? Who did they ever hurt? Were they ever a threat to anyone?" Armin questioned "All they wanted was to see the world. How many other people have you killed to 'keep the peace'?"

"The number of people I've killed is too many to count, I'd do it all over again if I had to and this time I'd have ended their traitorous brat too." Djel stated calmly. "Do you want to know why the walls haven't been plagued with conflict over the hundred years? Because of us, we did what was needed; the peace that everyone had enjoyed before you and the other usurpers destroyed it? It was because of us!" Armin hand began to crumble the edges of the box as he listen to Djel while Alphonse glared at Djel. "You think your parents are special? I've helped kill a teacher who knew too much for his own good, an old fool who made guns which could threaten the king and some whore in a backwoods farm, we snuffed out the fires before they could grow."

"It sounds more like you've been stuffing out human progress." Armin commented "Killing people below you who even slightly moved from the status quo and anyone who didn't follow your way of thinking."

"Fire? Those were innocent people, you murder." Alphonse accused him. "How can you talk about mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters like they were unfeeling menace?"

"It's disgusting and funny how you two take the high ground and judge me and my comrades on these actions." Djel spat "How many people have you killed? Arsonist, you've burned more than a dozen of my comrades." He said looking at Armin, he turned his head towards Alphonse "And someone had to have taught him, was it you?" Alphonse flinched slightly under his scrutiny "Those men and women had families too, families who are now vilified for their loved ones' connection to King. Make no mistake, you've had to ruin plenty of lives to get to where you are now. But that's just how it is!"

"You think we've like you?" Armin questioned.

Djel stepped forward and grabbed the bars "I know you're like me! I bet you think you are heroes, people who fight for justice and humanity, well so am I!"

Armin pulled out a matchstick from the box "Step back." He warned. The prisoners flinched as they watched Armin take out the match.

"Armin! No!" Alphonse said, he was about to grab the match from Armin's hand when Armin turned his head towards him and looked at him.

 _Trust me…_ Armin nodded his head and Alphonse backed away slightly.

"Go ahead then!" Djel exclaimed "Burn me and the rest of us! Wipe us all out and take our place then, the world needs people like us!"

"Are you insane?" exclaimed one of the prisoners

"No don't please!"

"I don't wanna burn to death!"

"Look at you, a monster that couldn't begin to compare to the titans!" Djel exclaimed "I don't fear you, neither of you brats!"

"Sannes, can you fucking not!" a prisoner exclaimed "You're gonna get us all killed."

"I've got one more question. Why?" Armin said "And I'm not asking for a 'keeping the peace' or 'just following orders' answer, what drove you to do this, killing innocent people day in and day out, what drove you to kill my parents?"

"My king" Djel stated so simply "I believed in the King and security of the walls, protecting both from war, I still do and always will." Djel stepped back "If its retribution you seek than go ahead, burn me to death if you want. We all have blood on our hands what's a few more drops into this river?"

"If that's what you want, I'll burn you all then." Armin placed the match onto the striker. At that moment Armin began to block out his surrounding; the pleading and begging of the other prisoners and Alphonse yelling at Armin as he stretches out his hand to grab the matchbox. Djel stood there, eyes closed as he awaited his fate. He didn't appear to stand up for the others. He wasn't going to.

Armin struck the striker.

Nothing.

Alphonse grabs Armin's wrist expecting a burst of fire. But there was nothing. No fire, not even a flicker of fire from the match. The prisoners who were cowering looked at Armin perplexed as Armin flicked the match into the cell.

"It's a dud." Armin stated calmly. Alphonse released Armin's wrist from his grip. Armin stepped forward "Maybe you're right Djel, maybe we're trading roles here and maybe I am a monster. But there's one thing I do know… I'd never let my comrades die for my beliefs or dreams." Armin placed the matchbox back into his pocket. "And on your dedication for the king, for Frieda Reiss and the will of the first king, the coordinate, the titan that kept them in power. It never cared about peace in the walls or humanity, the first king was willing to let us all die." Djel stepped back further as Armin wrapped his hand around the bar "The coordinate had the power to control the titans, all of them, the instrument of humanity's salvation right there but unused."

" **I'm sure you loved the king. But he didn't love you."**

Armin let go of the bar, he turned towards Alphonse "Let's go…" he muttered, Alphonse still looked at Armin like a lost fawn still trying to put together what happened. Alphonse then followed Armin to the door. As Armin placed his hand on the handle he turned his head back to Djel one last time "When you took my parents away from me I was so lucky to have my grandfather and my friends to support me… I wonder if you still have their support." Armin looked back towards the other prisoners either looking away or glaring at Djel as both Armin and Alphonse walked through the door.

As Armin shut the door behind them he quickly sat down on the chair in the long hallway and let out a deep sigh as Alphonse leaned up against the wall. "Armin… are you okay." He asked.

"What? Yeah, of course I am." Armin replied as he looked up towards Armin. "I told you I wasn't going to kill him."

"What were you doing back there then?" Alphonse asked.

"When I found out that my parents… I did think about getting killing him but doing something like that would have been pointless and reckless. If I wanted revenge then it had to be personal and lasting; I had the guard keep an eye on them and rely the information back to me, then used it to isolate him from his comrades in one moment and left him with the truth. The reality of the First king and his philosophy, possibly destroying his belief system."

"That's…"

"Diabolical and underhanded? Maybe I am a monster like Djel says… I'm the arsonist" Armin said "It's all relative I guess, in the eyes of some we must be bad people." His mind began to wonder towards the times he used flame alchemy to-

"You're not, Armin." Alphonse tried to reassure him "A monster or a bad person would have killed them all right then and there but you held back. We're not innocent in all this, I had to accept that I have to get my hands dirty, but we would never go after innocent people. We want to see humanity progress and they were content to hold it in place and decline for their own personal gain." Alphonse paused for a second "You're an alchemist, Armin." Alphonse stated, almost proclaiming it "And alchemists be thou for the people. Armin, you and I both want to see humanity do more than survive, we want it to thrive and that includes everyone and not just those who are on our side."

Armin smiled slightly "What's with you and Ed? Coming up with speeches in difficult moments?" While he might not have completely agreed with Alphonse then and there he felt happy and grateful to have someone supporting him.

"Well I've had a lot of difficult moments before." Alphonse replied. "I guess its good practice."

Armin leaned forward into his chair, his arm resting on his legs as he joined his hands together. All the anxiety, anger, frustration… this stew of emotions… still remained… Armin didn't notice it at first but... there were small drops of water landing onto the stone tiled floor from his shadow. He placed his fingers onto his cheeks to find a trail of water running down.

"Armin…" Alphonse said softly.

All at once it all came out. Armin began to sob as he placed his hand over his eyes "It… it... was hard… it was so hard…" he mumbled. "Losing them… my mother and father and then my grandfather being sent out there to die…" Armin tried to wipe away the tears but couldn't stop the flow "It hurts… it's still so painful."

"I know, Armin… I know…" Alphonse replied, his voice cracking slightly trying to hold it together himself. Alphonse knelt on the floor, coming face to face with Armin, and embraced him. Armin hugged Alphonse tight as he continued to cry, his tears soaking into Alphonse shoulder "I know… I know..."

* * *

It had been two days had passed since their stay at Hermina; Levi squad were now back at the castle. Inside the castle library Armin rested his head on a small stack of books with a pen in his hand; he snored lightly as his body twitched. Mina who sat on a desk nearby smiled slightly at Armin who looked very peaceful.

She turned her head back towards her book; a small stack of books related to courts and laws and courts, she flicked through the pages trying to find something useful to write down. At that moment she kind of hoped that she would find the answers to saving Annie in this book straight away. The candle next to her flickered as she let out a slight sigh.

She thought back to the last time she was at a trial, Eren, Ed's and Alphonse's trial, the anxiety of that moment, the weight of her testimony possibly being what decides the trial ,the fear of the verdict and the sadness of watching someone she cared about get hurt.

She couldn't let Annie get hurt either.

 _I said that I'd try to save Annie…_ She thought about the jury, the judge and the people who would likely all want to see Annie killed for being their enemy… _but she's my friend_

There were some footsteps behind her, she turned her head slightly to see Alphonse wanting towards her "Oh hey" Mina said as Alphonse walked to her side. "How are you?"

"I'm good." Alphonse.

"So what happened with Armin?" she asked. "What have you been up too?"

"It's nothing… it's all sorted anyway." Alphonse replied. "Just trying to get settled in again, what are you reading?"

"Oh um… law books…" Mina replied, being completely honest.

"Law books, why?" Alphonse asked.

"Annie's trial." Mina replied. "I… I don't want her to die; I think that she can still be useful to us and…"

"She's your friend and you want to protect her." Alphonse said. Mina nodded her head. "I understand, really I do."

"Alphonse, do you think people, even after they've done horrible things, can be redeemable?"

"Yes… I've known people who Ed and I had considered our enemies but who we teamed up with in the end… one of them we really did care for in the end."

"I think… no, Annie is redeemable and she can help us, I know it." Mina stated.

"You'll have to create an argument in her defense and bring it to Darius." Alphonse said. "I don't think Captain Levi is going to be okay with that though."

"I know… but we have a week off, I could say I want to visit my family while I organise everything." Mina explained.

"Lying about something like that… it would put your place in the squad in jeopardy."

"I know but… Annie is worth it." Mina replied "But if I succeed then they'll have to keep me around if they want to gain Annie's trust and vice versa."

"That's one way to hedge your bets." Alphonse commented. "You sound like you've got everything under control."

"Alphonse… to tell you the truth… this does feel like too much." Mina replied. "I don't know if I can do this and it feels like I'll be fighting an uphill battle. Can you help me?" Alphonse looked taken aback by the suggestion. "You don't have to help me formulate the argument or like what I'm doing… I just need to feel like I have someone in my corner in this."

Alphonse was silent for a few seconds and crossed his arms, he looked at Mina and the two stared at each other "Okay… I'll stand by you."

Mina stood up from her chair and hugged him tightly "Thank you." she replied, she turned her head slightly and kissed him on the cheek "Thank you."

* * *

Hello everyone,

I know it has been a while and you deserve an explanation; since the last chapter I've had to prepare for a future after graduation and university (come up with a plan + back plan depending on grades) sorting out my graduation and what I needed, nervousness surrounding my results and also this chapter being the longest one in my story at over 13,000 words.

I'll be sure to get to work on the next chapter as soon as I can now, hopefully get the next one out before August.

And finally I want to give a massive thank you to Cursed Knight who came up with the idea of Armin confronting Sannes; this has been a long time coming and you've had to wait for like a year for the story to reach this point.

Slightly heads up I'm not going to go straight into the Shiganshina Arc, there's going to be a small but important detour for a few chapters.


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